PoliticsDebt CeilingPoliticsGovernment Shutdown

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Representative: Government Shutdown Is An Option

GOP Congresswoman Casually Floats Government Shutdown
By 

Politics Reporter, The Huffington Post

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) floated the possibility Monday that the House Republicans would risk a potentially catastrophic government shutdown to force spending cuts.

"We are going to look at all of these options. You know, there is the option of government shutdown. There is an option of raising the debt ceiling in short-term increments," she said on MSNBC's "Jansing & Co."

When asked if she supported the latter, she said, "I don't know. I just know that that's one of the things that is being floated, as you've seen in some of the articles, is raising it in short-term in increments."

Said Blackburn, "There are a lot of plans out there."

She was asked if her constituents supported a government shutdown. "Yes they are, yes they are. But if they want us to be thoughtful in what is done. And this is the good thing: you know, maybe it's better to keep it open so we can keep cutting it. What we want to do is look at all of these ramifications. If you were to do the shutdown, exactly what is going to continue, who is going to hold the purse?"

When asked whether she would risk default or shutdown if she didn't get the spending cuts she wanted, Blackburn said, "I think that there is a way to avoid default. If it requires shutting down certain portions of the government, let's look at that. Let's put these options on the table, be very thoughtful, but get this spending pattern broken."

Politico reported that "more than half" of House Republicans are open to the possibility of shutting down the government to force spending cuts. Republicans could either refuse to raise the debt limit or extend the current continuing resolution, which expires on March 27. Either option could be disastrous for the economy. Other Republicans, like Newt Gingrich, have said that the GOP should not use the debt ceiling for leverage.

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Before You Go

What The GOP Doesn't Want You To Know About The Deficit
The Deficit Has Grown Mostly Because Of The Recession(01 of11)
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The deficit has ballooned not because of specific spending measures, but because of the recession. The deficit more than doubled between 2008 and 2009, as the economy was in free fall, since laid-off workers paid less in taxes and needed more benefits. The deficit then shrank in 2010 and 2011. (credit:AP)
The Stimulus Cost Much Less Than Bush's Wars, Tax Cuts(02 of11)
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Republicans frequently have blamed the $787 billion stimulus for the national debt, but, when all government spending is taken into account, the stimulus frankly wasn't that big. In contrast, the U.S. will have spent nearly $4 trillion on wars in the Middle East by the time those conflicts end, according to a recent report by Brown University. The Bush tax cuts have cost nearly $1.3 trillion over 10 years. (credit:Getty)
The Deficit Grew Under George W. Bush(03 of11)
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When George W. Bush took office, the federal government was running a surplus of $86 billion. When he left, that had turned into a $642 billion deficit. (credit:AP)
The Deficit Is Shrinking(04 of11)
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Last year's federal budget deficit was 12 percent lower than in 2009, according to the Office of Management and Budget.The deficit is projected to shrink even more over the next several years. (credit:AP)
Investors Are Paying Us To Borrow Money(05 of11)
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The interest rate on 10-year Treasury bonds is negative, according to the Treasury Department. Investors are even paying us for 30-year Treasury bonds, when adjusted for inflation. (credit:AP)
Investors Are Not Running Away(06 of11)
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Conservative commentators have been warning for years that investors will run away from Treasury bonds because of the national debt. So far it's not happening. Interest rates on Treasury bonds continue to hover at historic lows. (credit:AP)
Health Care Reform Reduces The Deficit(07 of11)
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Republicans have blasted the Affordable Care Act as "budget-busting." But health care reform actually reduces the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (credit:Getty)
The U.S. Is Borrowing Less From China(08 of11)
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The U.S. government is borrowing much less from foreign countries than before the recession, according to government data cited by Paul Krugman. That is because the U.S. private sector is financing our bigger deficits. (credit:Getty)
We Spend A Lot On Defense(09 of11)
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Defense spending constituted 20 percent of federal spending last year, or $718 billion, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. This adds up to 41 percent of the world's defense spending, according to Bloomberg TV anchor Adam Johnson. Mitt Romney has vowed to not cut defense spending if elected president. (credit:AP)
We Spend A Lot On Health Care(10 of11)
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Health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, constituted 21 percent of federal spending last year. In contrast, education constituted 2 percent of federal spending. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have promised not to change Medicare for Americans age 55 and older. (credit:AP)
Republicans May Want Large Deficits For Now(11 of11)
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The federal budget deficit ballooned under Ronald Reagan, and that may be just the way Republicans like it. Some Republican thinkers have proposed "starving the beast": that is, cutting taxes in order to use larger deficits to justify spending cuts later. Since Republicans ultimately want lower taxes and a smaller government, what better way is there to cut spending than to make it look urgent and necessary? (credit:AP)
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