Johnson: Shutdown 'ultimately could be a benefit' if Trump administration eliminates programs
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday the government shutdown could “ultimately could be a benefit” to taxpayers if the Trump administration uses the opportunity to shrink the federal government in ways Republicans “never had the votes in the Senate to do.”
His comments came in an appearance on the "Moon Griffon Show," a local radio show in Johnson’s home state of Louisiana, just after a press conference in which Republican congressional leaders urged Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to vote for a GOP seven-week funding stopgap and reopen the government.
Griffon referenced slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk saying in January 2019 that a government shutdown should be used as a chance to shrink government permanently.
Johnson said “there are some good things that could come out of a shutdown, but there’s pros and cons,” the cons being the thousands of federal workers — and service members — having to work without pay, as well as the threat of food assistance programs coming to a halt and flood insurance programs lapsing.
“The pro side is is what Charlie was referring to and what I talked to the president about in the Oval Office 48 hours ago. It does give an opportunity to the power in charge, the president in charge, to make unilateral decisions that don’t need a vote of Congress about which programs in the government are essential and which are not,” Johnson said.
“Chuck Schumer — very stupidly, Moon — just walked right into that trap. He’s handed President Trump the keys to the kingdom,” Johnson said.
The Speaker said the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has the power to make those decisions on which programs can continue or not.
“Charlie was right those years ago. It does give an opportunity to eliminate bloated, unnecessary federal programs that we would like to vote down, but we never had the votes in the Senate to do. Now we have the moment. So, very real harm to real Americans, but ultimately could be a benefit to the country for taxpayers if in this process we can get rid of some of the government fat,” Johnson said.
Vought is set to speak to House Republicans on a conference call at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
The Office of Management and Budget has signaled there could be mass layoffs of federal workers in a shutdown. Vought sent a memo last week to agencies directing them, in the event of a government shutdown, to “use this opportunity to consider reduction in force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects, or activities.”
Non-essential employees are typically furloughed or told to work without pay in a shutdown, and get back pay when they eventually return to work, but the memo suggests there could be permanent layoffs of nonessential employees.
