You know Republican leaders are sincere about wanting to avoid a government shutdown when they talk about the harm it will do to big business interests. At a Capitol press conference Friday, House Speaker John Boehner said he’s not making contingency preparations for a government shutdown, and hopes to avoid one altogether, in part because of the inherent cost.
“And frankly, let’s all be honest, if you shut the government down, it’ll end up costing more than you save, because you interrupt contracts,” Boehner admitted. “There’s a lot of problems with the idea of shutting the government down.”
That’s the same message he and Democrats are getting from conservative interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce. Democrats, by contrast, are highlighting the impact of a shutdown on working people.
Boehner’s insisted for a long time that a government shutdown isn’t his goal, but this he’s never this candid about why.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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