Biden fired off a tweet reminding lawmakers that the last shutdown led to some 800,000 government workers ― more than a third of the federal workforce ― being furloughed without pay.
“But enjoy your weekend,” he added sarcastically:
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday sent lawmaker home after GOP hard-liners blocked efforts to even open debate on funding bills.
“This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down,” McCarthy said.
Some of those same hard-liners ― in particular Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) ― have threatened to file motions to force McCarthy out of the speaker’s chair.
It’s not clear how many workers would be affected this time around.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019 cost the economy about $3 billion, according to Reuters.
