‘Enjoy Your Weekend’: Biden Mocks House Republicans For Going Home For the Week Amid Looming Shutdown

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

President Joe Biden roasted congressional Republicans on Thursday, hours after it was announced they were calling it a week despite appearing to make no tangible progress toward legislation to potentially avoid a shutdown.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was dealt yet another blow on Thursday by members of his conference. In an emblematic sign of dysfunction, a mere procedural vote on military funding failed when six Republicans voted with Democrats to sink the measure.

The speaker is facing pressure from hardliners in his party to bring 12 separate appropriations bills to the floor instead of a single omnibus package that would fund the entire federal government. It seems increasingly unlikely the chamber will pass the appropriations bills in time – let alone have the Democratic Senate and White House sign off on them. McCarthy is reportedly seeking a 30-day stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown, which will happen if Congress and the White House do not agree on legislation to fund the government.

Despite the glacial pace of negotiations, leadership announced on Thursday afternoon that its week was over.

Biden seized on the news.

“Last time there was a government shutdown, 800,000 Americans were furloughed or worked without pay,” he tweeted. “But enjoy your weekend.”

Earlier in the day, McCarthy expressed frustration with the holdouts in his party.

“This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down. It doesn’t work,” the speaker told reporters.