Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the government shutdown could give the Trump administration an opportunity to streamline the federal workforce.
In a studio appearance on "Finnerty," Van Duyne said Democrats are miscalculating by holding out against a clean continuing resolution that House Republicans have already passed.
"They are really playing a game of chicken with this Trump administration," Van Duyne said. "Republicans are fighting not to shut down the government. We in the House did our job. We passed a clean CR — a stopgap funding bill that the Democrats have supported time and time again."
But she stressed that if Democrats continue to stall, the White House will hold the upper hand.
"The Trump administration is very clear: They are in charge right now," she said. "As soon as you shut down the government, you basically relinquish all your control to the executive branch. They have an opportunity right now to say, 'OK, who is essential, who is not essential?' And it will give them an opportunity to actually right-size the government."
Van Duyne added that the public often misunderstands how federal workers are treated during shutdowns, noting that employees who are sidelined eventually receive full back pay.
"When we use the term furlough, it's a misnomer," she explained. "A furlough implies that you're getting time off or you're not getting paid for it. Every single one of these employees will get paid. They're just not able to work right now."
Still, Van Duyne warned that this shutdown may not be business as usual.
"There could be RIFs," she said, or reduction in force. "There could actually be reductions in the workforce that would be permanent."
Van Duyne predicted the shutdown could last between five and seven days, but said Democrats' refusal to accept a clean CR will only deepen their political troubles.
"I think Democrats are playing a really stupid game," she said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials. Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app. Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.