Gimenez Says Majority of Republicans Want to Avoid Government Shutdown

House Republicans continue their internal fight over spending as a government shutdown grows closer. Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said in a recent appearance on Fox and Friends First that most Republicans wish to avoid the shutdown, and only a few vocal members are stalling efforts to create appropriations bills.

"Right now, all we need to do is avoid a government shutdown, and my efforts are actually concentrated on how we can get a deal done within the Republican Party and the Republican Conference in order to make sure that the government does not shut down. The government shutting down does not benefit anybody, does not save any money, and actually plays into the Democrats' hands," said Rep. Gimenez.

Hosts Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro asked how this internal deal would come about, to which Rep. Gimenez said, "Most of us are fine" with the continuing resolution introduced by Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) which met fierce opposition from Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL). At the same time, he said, "We need to pass some appropriations that show good faith to those more conservative Republicans that want to make sure that we are cutting spending."

To do this, border and defense bills must be passed, and a resolution to "keep the government open for a small window" must be created to allow those appropriations bills to be finished and sent to the Senate.

Shimkus pointed out that the Biden Administration is already capitalizing on the impending shutdown, for which Republicans are blamed.

Gimenez answered, "I do not think you can say it is the Republican Party. It is a few members of the Republican Party that are intransigent and that are frankly more interested, in my opinion, in getting off some airtime and some funding opportunities that are really causing this. 95% of the Republican Party and the Republican Conference is ready to move on. There is a very small number, four or five, that are causing the issue."

Moreover, because this slim majority of Republicans are "the only ones talking about reducing the government, spending, and our debt in the future," this must be maintained, while "some of the antics that I have seen from some of my fellow colleagues are putting the majority at risk."