Republicans shouldn't play chicken with a government shutdown

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Republicans are preparing to take over the U.S. Senate on Jan. 2, when their new members will be sworn in and take their oaths of office. Until then, both parties need to learn to play nice.

Sen. Mitch McConnell recently stated, “There will be no government shutdown or default on the national debt.” Sadly, it looks like many Republicans are gearing up to go against the sentiments of the future Senate majority leader.

President Obama has stated that he is prepared to use an executive order to pass an immigration reform bill, but according to reports, a number of congressional Republicans are getting ready for another game of chicken with the president — preparing for stalemate and another government shutdown. Do Republicans really believe that a shutdown is in the best interests of the American people? These are the people who voted for a Republican majority because they wanted reform, not redundancy.

An executive order by the president would provide relief for as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. The order would, in essence, protect these immigrants from being deported. Republicans are viewing this as an act of direct disrespect to the incoming majority.

McConnell said that the issuance of such an executive order would be like “waving a red flag in front of a bull.” House Speaker John Boehner said that Obama would “burn himself” if he moved forward, and promised to fight the move. But Republicans need to proceed warily, and it appears that the party is largely split on whether to implement another government shutdown.

A new spending bill is needed by Dec. 11 to avoid a shutdown of federal agencies. Republicans know that a spending bill gives them leverage against the president and his immigration reform bill, but they must also remember the fiasco caused by the 16-day shutdown last year.

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