Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called out House Republicans reneging on the deal made between Speaker McCarthy and President Biden this summer, and ran through the list of damage they are about to inflict on the country if the shutdown caucus gets their way.
CNN's Dana Bash asked Buttigieg how seriously the Biden administration is taking the possibility of a shutdown.
"So, the administration, as always, will be ready for anything," Buttigieg responded, "But, look, Speaker McCarthy and the president made a deal. They made a deal earlier this summer. And, by the way, it wasn't an easy deal. I mean, just from the transportation side alone, it meant us accepting cuts that Republicans were demanding to programs that we wanted to use to fund more roads and bridges and airports."
"But we made that deal," Buttigieg continued. "And all we're asking is that they live up to that deal. A shutdown would include, just in the transportation side alone, shutting down air traffic control training at the exact moment when the country recognizes the need for more, not less, ATC staffing and when we have finally got cancellations back at or below normal rates."
Buttigieg went through the list of service members and other workers that would not be paid and the stress that would place on them and their families being forced to come to work without receiving a paycheck, and reminded Bash that "the American people don't want a shutdown," before hitting House Republicans for being the ones mucking up the works.
"From what I can tell, the Senate is ready to go. The administration is ready to go. House Republicans need to come to their senses and keep the government running."
Buttigieg also whacked Republicans for talking out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to travel and rail safety.
"Think about what this means for transportation again. Obviously, I'm speaking mostly to what's in my lane."
"But some of the very same House Republicans who were lining up to try to make partisan political issue of air travel disruptions are proposing cuts that would make it harder to modernize our systems. Some of the very same House Republicans who were aligning up to try to make the pain of the people of East Palestine, Ohio, into a partisan political issue would cut railroad safety inspections."
"It makes no sense."
Of course it doesn't, but it's the MAGA wing of the House we're talking about here.
