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Paul Ryan Rules Out Government Shutdown

Doug Mataconis
5

A day after panning President Obama’s new budget, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan ruled out the idea that any impasse over the budget would lead to a government shutdown:

Republicans will pass short-term measures to keep funding the government rather than allow a shutdown, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday.

Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said that if the GOP-held House can’t reach an agreement with President Obama and Democrats in the Senate on a continuing resolution (“CR”) funding government the rest of this fiscal year, they would pursue temporary funding measures, and not allow a government shutdown.

“If we don’t get agreement in the meantime, yes, we do think there’s going to be some sort of situation where there’s a short-term CR,” Ryan said on “Good Morning America.”

“I think we’re going to have to negotiate exactly how those short-term CRs occur,” he added.

Ryan’s comments echo those made by John Boehner during the 2010 elections that the GOP would not seek to shutdown the government over budget disputes with the President. Obviously, the GOP has learned the lessons of the 1995-96 shutdown. In the end, it seems unlikely that a shutdown would work to their benefits politically. That doesn’t mean we won’t hear talk about shutdowns in the press, of course. I expect negotiations over a Continuing Resolution to go down to the wire as they always do, and we’ll be treated to more than one cable news story about how the National Parks are about to be shut down because of those idiots in Washington. In the end, though, a deal will be struck that will please neither side completely but which will allow the government to continue functioning. Now, if we could just find a way to actually get a budget passed rather than having to relay on these temporary stop gap measures.

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5 responses to “Paul Ryan Rules Out Government Shutdown”

  1. Brummagem Joe Avatar
    Brummagem Joe

    I think it unlikely they’ll shut down the govt but what are Ryan’s assurances worth. He produced a budget proposal for 2011 that took about 32 billion out of the budget and within three days had to agree to produce a Mark II version that took out about 64 billion because of pressure from Republican house members. This is a bit of spin because he comprehends how dangerous such talk is but it by no means precludes a big effort by people who think like you Doug on budget matters to attempt a shutdown. Getting a budget through the house that doesn’t shut down govt is going to require a lot of democratic votes and they won’t vote for silliness. I suspect we’ll get a budget through the house that looks more like Obama’s than the Republican zealots and is consequently going to leave a lot of the Republican rank and file rather unhappy.

  2. Tom Mathers Avatar
    Tom Mathers

    Given the outcome of the November elections I find it strange that you think a dedicated effort to reduce the deficit qualifies as “silliness.” Also, Republican zealots? Aren’t the folks on the left equally zealous tpwards kicking the can down the road, at least until BO is re-elected?

  3. Herb Avatar
    Herb

    “I expect negotiations over a Continuing Resolution to go down to the wire as they always do, and we’ll be treated to more than one cable news story about how the National Parks are about to be shut down because of those idiots in Washington.”

    Here’s the thing: Shutting down the government for any reason, especially budgetary reasons, is foolish. It’s not a good idea. It’s a bad idea, for a whole number of reasons. Indeed, the guy who suggests it should lose all credibility forever.

    But that’s not what happens. The guys who suggest it are not laughed at; they’re listened to. Their sympathizers make cracks about National Parks and complain about how nothing ever gets done because…….I don’t know.

    Medicare Part D? The Faith-based iniative? Foreign invasions? Tax cuts?

  4. Brummagem Joe Avatar
    Brummagem Joe

    Tom Mathers says:
    Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 10:01
    “Given the outcome of the November elections I find it strange that you think a dedicated effort to reduce the deficit qualifies as “silliness.” Also, Republican zealots? Aren’t the folks on the left equally zealous tpwards kicking the can down the road, at least until BO is re-elected?”

    Given that most conservative commentators are claiming the Republicans are also kicking the can down the road, I’m not sure I see the difference. And any doubts about Republican silliness on the deficit were dispelled when they insisted on adding 700 billion to it by extending all the bush tax cuts.

  5. Bertrand Russel Avatar
    Bertrand Russel

    Seems a government shut down would be a desireable event, just to find out what is at risk:

    1) Weather service …. where do the private services get their data?
    2) Maritime systems control…no harbor pilots…no buoy data of oncoming curret and wave heights.
    3) No central satellite command …..no GPS, no repeating satellite access. No fsacility or enabling subsidy to launch
    4) No Coast Guard.
    5) No TSA or flight controllers.
    6) No energy systems data collection…..disrupt all commidty trading which relies and storage, supply, weather, and grid data for market distribution.
    7) No military procurement and supply activity. Starve the private sector.
    8) Pay off debt for first-call creditors.
    9) Further devaluation of the dollar.
    10) Push the US currency out of “reerve currency” status.
    11) International trade collections and settlement being cleared in foreign market banks.
    12) Import transfers come to halt without license, permit, or inspection validations.
    13) Collapse of state payroll systems….which rely on fed tresury to lend on down cycles between revenue collections. Only sales tax states would / could go forward.
    14) Restart of Internet services with who goes first?
    15) Border closures entrance or egress for lack of work force.
    16) Since 78% of wage earners on pay-check-to-paycheck rise in violence expected.
    17) Exit of capital to foreign “safe houses” of stability.
    18) Expect a sur tax on asset exchange, sales, transfer, exquity movement.
    19) Panic driven legislation to restore liquidity of market at inflated cost…interest prepayment and asset escrow.
    20) Thank the GOP the post office might still run….they could open up the penny bank system.
    21) Great-grand-parents share bedrooms and bathrooms with grand children.
    22) No cable news or entertainment.
    23) Become a squatter in National Forests.
    24) No Social Security checks ……next month residents of nursing homes and assisted living units put out on the curb by owners.
    25) No plan but GREAT CHAOS….SCHWAB no longer solvent…ponzi scheme revealed…every account has been leveraged out under Power-of-Attorney Agreement.

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