McConnell Warns It'd Be 'Politically Beyond Stupid' To Shut Down Government Before Election

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday said it is in the best interest of his party to avoid a government shutdown, adding that it would be “politically beyond stupid” for the GOP to go down this route ahead of the presidential election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the lower chamber would hold a vote Wednesday on a government funding resolution tied to a voter fraud bill, which appears doomed to fail.

Speaking to reporters inside the U.S. Capitol, McConnell warned that his party would be held responsible in the event that the government shuts down, suggesting Republicans could draw backlash from voters in November.

“My only observation about this whole discussion is the one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown,” he said. “It would be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election, because certainly we’d get the blame.”

“I’m for whatever avoids a government shutdown and that’ll ultimately end up obviously being a discussion between the [Senate] Democratic leader and the speaker of the House,” McConnell continued.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Johnson to drop his plan for a vote on the two measures this week, despite the Louisiana Republican’s claims that he is not prepared to discuss any alternatives to keep the government open past Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends.

“The only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he’s running into a dead end. We must have a bipartisan — a bipartisan — plan instead,” Schumer said.

Johnson originally tried to hold a vote on the six-month continuing resolution paired with the SAVE Act, which includes a provision requiring people to present proof of citizenship to register to vote, last week but