Rep. Nicole Malliotakis Blames Democrats for Potential Government Shutdown

Blame for Government Shutdown

• 📌 House Republicans passed legislation to keep the government open by extending existing funding levels, a measure Democrats had previously supported multiple times.
• ⚠️ Democrats in the Senate are refusing to vote for this clean continuation of funding, requiring seven Democratic votes to pass in the Senate.
• 💡 Rep. Malliotakis argues that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is using the funding mechanism to push unrelated policy issues, such as Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of the year.

Obamacare Subsidies and Leverage

• 💰 The Obamacare subsidies in question are directed to insurance companies, not directly to the American people, and their expiration date was set by Democrats.
• 🎯 Malliotakis states that Schumer is attempting to muddy the waters and use leverage to insert unrelated policy items into a bill essential for keeping the government funded.
• 🚀 She emphasizes that this tactic risks military pay and agency operations for the sake of unrelated policy goals.

Impact on Government Workers and Military

• 💔 Many Americans, including government workers and service members, live paycheck to paycheck and will be directly affected by a shutdown.
• 🗣️ Malliotakis advises those affected to hold their representatives accountable if they voted against keeping the government funded at existing levels.
• ✅ She highlights that continuing existing funding levels is a common-sense responsible thing that most representatives previously supported.

Bipartisanship and Problem Solvers Caucus

• 🤝 Malliotakis is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group focused on finding solutions.
• 📉 She notes that while the Biden administration has seen a shift to the left with open borders and inflation, she believes the pendulum should settle in the middle.
• 🧩 Unfortunately, only one Democrat from the Problem Solvers Caucus voted with Republicans to keep the government funded, indicating a lack of cooperation when the tables are turned.

Executive Branch Power During Shutdown

• ⚖️ Preparing for mass firings of federal workers, Malliotakis points out that the executive branch becomes more empowered during a shutdown.
• 🔄 This is counterintuitive to the stated Democratic goal of holding the administration accountable, as it grants them more unilateral decision-making power.

Political Stalemate and Pay Deferral

• ⏳ Malliotakis believes Democrats are creating chaos by not agreeing to a clean extension of funding, possibly due to pressure from left-wing groups.
• 🇺🇸 She stresses the need to prioritize people over politics.
• 💸 Regarding pay, Malliotakis supports withholding pay for members of Congress if staff members are also not being paid, advocating for a uniform approach to pay during a shutdown.