The federal government shutdown has now stretched into its 17th day, and eastern Washington Congressman Michael Baumgartner joined The Morning Ride to offer his take on what’s keeping Washington, D.C. gridlocked.
Baumgartner, a Republican from Spokane and former state senator, says the stalemate is being driven by what he calls the “far-left flank” of the Democratic Party. “They don’t accept that President Trump was legitimately re-elected,” he told host Phil Vandervort, arguing that Democrats are holding out to appease their political base. The congressman predicted the shutdown could extend beyond the previous record of 35 days, saying Democrats “seem determined to set a new one.” He added that House Republicans have already passed a plan to keep the government open at current spending levels while budget negotiations continue. Baumgartner also criticized Washington Senator Patty Murray, who recently shared a floor speech blaming Trump and Republicans for trying to “break the government.” He accused Murray and other Senate Democrats of “missing an opportunity to work with the President,” pointing to what he described as their focus on “radical ideology” over fiscal responsibility. The congressman emphasized that the mounting federal debt (now over $37 trillion) makes the stakes especially high. “We can’t keep running 20% budget deficits,” he said, warning that unpaid military personnel and delayed paychecks for federal workers could soon deepen the crisis. Despite the partisan divide, Baumgartner expressed cautious optimism that progress could come “after this weekend’s rallies” or sometime next week. “We’ll be ready to go when the tantrum stops,” he said.
Listen to the full interview with Rep. Michael Baumgartner on The Morning Ride below.
