Former Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is asserting that a government shutdown appears increasingly likely due to the House Republicans’ inability to reach a consensus on a spending agreement to keep federal agencies operational.
During an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday night, McCaskill suggested that this situation might eventually compel House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to relinquish his leadership position in a matter of weeks.
She explained, “Here’s the problem he has: In order to keep the government from shutting down or to open the government back up, he’s gonna have to go to Democratic voters. And that means he can’t be speaker anymore.”
McCaskill was referring to a faction of hard-line Republican extremists who have threatened to oust McCarthy from the speaker’s role if he engages in any form of cooperation with Democratic legislators.
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Nonetheless, McCaskill urged McCarthy to take this challenging step, saying:
“Kevin, here’s the thing: It’s gonna be painful. Tear off the frickin’ Band-Aid. Confront those extreme people in your caucus and say, ‘Take me out if you can, but I’m going to do what’s best for this country and frankly what’s best for the party.’”
However, McCaskill didn’t mince words when assessing McCarthy’s negotiating skills, stating, “He seems like he’s really a bad negotiator and a really big coward.”
As the specter of a government shutdown continues to loom, it’s increasingly apparent that McCarthy may need Democratic support to resolve the crisis, a situation that could further alienate him from the extremist faction within his own party.
With Halloween just around the corner, McCaskill boldly predicted, “I predict before we say ‘trick-or-treat,’ we’ll be calling somebody else speaker.”
See the discussion below from MSNBC.
