Aug. 24, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting House Speaker Paul Ryan for taking the House’s Article I power of the purse leverage off the table by saying “I don’t think a government shutdown is necessary” on achieving GOP funding priorities in the September continuing resolution including securing funding for the southern border wall proposed by President Donald Trump:
“We should call this Paul Ryan’s ‘art of the steal,’ because the Speaker is effectively stealing any possibility of achieving Republican priorities in the September spending bill including building the southern border wall he promised would be delivered this fall. Since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to try to filibuster that legislation, the only way to isolate Senate Democrats is for the House and the White House to present a united front that no bill can pass the House without the wall funding — all of it. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised $12 billion to $15 billion in January would be passed, and this funding has already been delayed once. To break this promise Ryan has been making all year again, by ceding the power of the purse to a recalcitrant Democrat Senate minority, is short-sighted, foolish and deceptive to the American people who are counting on the GOP to deliver on border security.
“Building the wall is more important than avoiding a partial government shutdown. The only shred of credibility that GOP majorities in Congress will have in 2018 is their ability and willingness to deliver the Trump agenda including the wall, and after the Obamacare debacle crying that Chuck Schumer would not let them will not fly. If President Trump’s wall is not funded, it will be another of a growing list of GOP Congressional failures, and Congressional Republicans will be the ones to pay the political price, not the President.
“It is time for Ryan and McConnell to show the American people that they are serious about enacting the President’s agenda by ending the D.C. game of bait and switch and working with the President using every tactic at their disposal to force their priorities into law. This September vote will be a crucible for House and Senate leadership and failure is no longer an option. Speaker Ryan needs to walk away from the clear signal that he is giving up on building the wall without even a whimper, let alone a fight, leaving him vulnerable to the charge that he never intended to get wall funding to the President’s desk. Ultimately, the only way Ryan regains his dignity and credibility is when he links shields with President Trump to force the Democrat minority to back down on this critical national security infrastructure project.”
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