Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Wednesday that he does not expect the partial government shutdown to end this week, accusing Democrats of deliberately prolonging the impasse to appease the far left of the party.
"Based on the way Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are conducting themselves, unfortunately, I don't think so," Lawler said on "Finnerty" when asked if the shutdown might end by Thursday or Friday.
The federal government entered its eighth day of a partial shutdown Wednesday after Senate Democrats again rejected a House-passed stopgap funding measure that would keep operations running through mid-November.
Lawler said the legislation is "a clean continuing resolution" that Democrats supported previously but now refuse to advance for political reasons.
"The fact is, Hakeem Jeffries and every single House Democrat but for one [Rep. Jared Golden of Maine] voted to shut the government down nearly three weeks ago," Lawler said.
"And of course, Sen. Schumer, who's petrified of a primary challenge from AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.], has been blocking the clean CR from advancing to keep the government open and funded."
Lawler said Democrats' resistance is rooted in fear of alienating their progressive wing.
"This really isn't about healthcare," he said, referring to a dispute over funding for Affordable Care Act subsidies. "This is about their far-left base and the fact that they are petrified that if they actually do their jobs, they will be primaried and removed from office."
He argued that the political posturing on Capitol Hill contrasts sharply with the foreign policy achievements of President Donald Trump, whom he said "just secured a peace deal in the Middle East and is securing the release of the remaining hostages."
"Maybe, just maybe, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer could wake up and realize they look like a clown show on Capitol Hill," Lawler said.
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