Rep. Pat Harrigan told Newsmax on Wednesday that he and his team are bracing for a protracted federal government shutdown, warning that Democrats have backed themselves into what he called a political "boxed canyon."

"I'm actually preparing my team to buckle down for a long shutdown here," the North Carolina Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "I think [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune hit the nail on the head — the Democrats have flown into a boxed canyon and you can't fly out of it."

According to Harrigan, Democrats are trapped between two bad options: working with Republicans or continuing to "bend the knee to the radical left." He argued they chose the latter, leaving no way out except to seek concessions from Republicans.

That's not going to happen, Harrigan said.

"We're very clear: The clean CR is the pathway forward so that we can get through the rest of the traditional appropriations process, get through the 12 appropriations bills, [and] get as much of that through regular order as we possibly can — which, by the way, regular order is bipartisan."

Democrats are "fighting against bipartisan efforts of the Republican Party" Harrigan said, and insisted that, regardless of how the standoff ends, "this ends in the Democrats looking really bad, no matter what they do. And the longer it goes, the more dangerous it becomes for America."

Harrigan emphasized that shutdowns are damaging for both parties, noting that GOP lawmakers in the past have been blamed for the government grinding to a halt. But this time, he said, the GOP has done its part by passing a clean continuing resolution.

"These are Biden spending levels," Harrigan said. "All you have here is a simple choice by the Democrats to either vote for something that they voted for 13 times in the past or do what they've done now, which is bend the knee to the radical left for no other purpose than to throw a temper tantrum."

Harrigan concluded that the situation is more precarious because, at this point, no clear path out exists.

"The biggest problem is, where's the offramp?" Harrigan asked. "Nobody sees it right now."

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