Passing a stopgap bill to avert a partial shutdown of the federal government at the end of this week is the “most fiscally responsible thing we can do at this moment,” Texas Congressman Chip Roy told Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro.
Joining The Ben Shapiro Show for an interview Monday, Roy argued in favor of the latest continuing resolution as a means to give the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) more time to identify fiscal bloat to cut spending.
“I’m not a huge fan of the kick the can down the road continuing resolution as the best form of how we fund our government, but what I do believe is that you’ve got to figure out how to empower President Trump and Elon to continue to keep the lights on to carry out DOGE,” Roy said.
Roy said he is still combing through the 99-page bill, which was released on Saturday, but emphasized that it puts a stranglehold on spending.
“It has no earmarks,” he said. “It doesn’t allow the defense hawks, who really wanted a whole bunch more money, to screw up the whole process by throwing a bunch of money into it and then the non-defense Democrats want more money. So this is a win to keep the lights on for six months for Elon. The Democrats have threatened to shut down, so they can stop Elon. So this puts them in a box. It’s the most fiscally responsible thing we can do at this moment.”
A partial shutdown, during which non-essential federal employees will be furloughed, is set to begin on March 15 if a funding bill is not passed in time. The Republican-led House is currently moving forward with the continuing resolution, which will be sent to the Senate for approval if passed by the lower chamber. President Donald Trump has endorsed the bill.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) also praised the in an interview with Morning Wire on Monday.
“Well, what the bill does is essentially freeze the spending for the rest of the year. In fact, it actually lowers it a little bit,” Harris told Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley he was confident the bill would pass and fund the government through September 30. Like Roy, Harris said this is crucial because it will allow DOGE to continue its work without interruption.
“We can’t shut down the government now because Elon won’t be able to do the work he needs to do, Harris said, “So we need to keep the government open.”
Yet the work does not stop there, Roy stressed.
“We’ll have to do our job in the appropriations process for this next cycle — which by the way, this appropriations cycle ends on September 30th,” Roy said. “So we’ve got to get all that passed for [fiscal year 2026] by September. So we should focus on that and then get reconciliation done, which is where we deal with mandatory spending and tax policy.”
The budget reconciliation process is already underway with the House recently passing a resolution that outlines fiscal priorities for future spending legislation in line with Trump’s domestic agenda priorities on national defense, border security, and tax cuts.
Not all conservatives are on board with leadership resorting to another continuing resolution. But Roy insisted House Republcians’ overall strategy for spending takes fiscal responsibility to heart. The congressman also noted that Republicans have such tools as impoundment and rescission to potentially help them get the job done.
“I’m always weary, as you are and should be — we both should be — of the excuses in this town,” Roy said. “There’s always an excuse not to deliver. What I would push back on people right now is — we’re delivering. A spending freeze in an inflationary environment is a huge win, trust me.”
