House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer praised Democratic senators for backing off what he called a “completely unnecessary” government shutdown, telling Newsmax that they “finally came to their senses.”
At least 10 Democrat senators are expected to join Republicans in supporting a procedural motion to move forward on a bundle of spending bills and a short-term funding measure that would reopen the government through January.
Comer said Democrats were solely responsible for the budget impasse that shuttered parts of the federal government for more than a month.
“This was 100% a Democrat shutdown,” Comer told Newsmax TV’s “National Report” on Monday.
“This was unnecessary. The Democrats, in their never-ending quest to embarrass Donald Trump or hurt Donald Trump, they hurt the American people. They set America back 41 days.”
The Kentucky Republican criticized the financial fallout from the stalemate, pointing to the billions in lost productivity and the looming cost of back pay for furloughed workers.
“The amount of money that was wasted and what we’re going to end up having to do, back pay for federal workers who weren’t working, the SNAP crisis that they created. was totally unnecessary,” he said. “I hope they learned a lesson.”
Comer applauded the eight Democratic senators who broke with their party’s leadership and moved to support a bipartisan resolution aimed at reopening the government.
Their votes, he said, were key to ending what he described as a “politically motivated stunt” that backfired.
“Good for those eight Democratic senators who finally came to their senses,” Comer repeated. “I think that we’re finally going to get that bill through the Senate, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to pass that bill in the House.”
He added that lawmakers are standing by to act quickly once the Senate completes its work.
“Once the Senate passes their bill and we have the 36 hours to read the bill and to get everybody back to Washington,” Comer said, “hopefully this will be over with at the end of this week.”
Comer’s comments reflect growing optimism among congressional Republicans that the impasse, which began as a fight over spending priorities and political messaging, could finally be nearing its end.
Still, the tension lingers.
While Comer celebrated the apparent breakthrough, he warned Democrats not to repeat the same mistakes.
“Hopefully,” he said, “they’ve learned their lesson.”
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