Former Trump White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney threw cold water on the idea that some in Congress want a government shutdown, saying Monday that there are serious efforts being made to avoid the outcome.
The government faces split March 1 and March 8 funding deadlines, with just days to go before parts of the government run out of funds and few signs of work towards appropriations bills.
“I’ve described the shutdown mania, as there are people on the Hill who want to shut down, they want to make the point they want to have that battle, and then you end up not having a shutdown because things tend to fall apart,” Mulvaney said in a “The Hill on NewsNation” interview with Blake Burman on Monday.
“It’s the exact opposite right now,” he said. “I don’t know that many people on the Hill who really are, you know, sort of itching for a shutdown.”
Democrats and Republicans are split on funding the government, as Democrats demand a foreign aid package while the GOP members want border security measures. A bipartisan deal that included both issues was shot down by the House GOP earlier this month.
“Generally speaking, the center of gravity is, ‘Let’s get something done.’ But the chances of having a shutdown are much higher than normal, simply because the place is so broken now,” Mulvaney said.
He added that the odds of a shutdown are “above 50 percent” but said that any shutdown is likely to be short. He compared it to the one-day government shutdown in 2017, which he oversaw as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
“It’s going to be a couple of days because they just cannot get their act together,” he said.
President Biden will host a meeting of the four House and Senate leaders Tuesday to discuss keeping the government open. Mulvaney said he doesn’t think that will change the negotiations.
“I don’t think the meeting at the White House changes it, because if Mike Johnson wants to keep his job, he’s going to go down there talking about border security, not funding the government,” Mulvaney said.
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