OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The federal government is on the verge of shutting down and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is taking issue with former President Donald Trump.
McConnell doesn’t agree with Trump’s call to shut down the federal government later this month unless the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is included in a stopgap spending bill.
“A government shutdown is always a bad idea — at any time,” McConnell told reporters at the Capitol when asked about his comments.
“I think we first have to see what the House sends us. And, of course, how to handle that comes down to [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer]. The first step ought to be what comes out of the House, and I think we don’t know right now,” McConnell added.
“The leader was also noncommittal on Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) initial plan to put a continuing resolution on the floor this week that extends government funding into March and includes the SAVE Act. The attached bill would require proof of citizenship for individuals to register to vote in federal elections,” The Hill reported.
Despite growing criticism in his conference, Johnson persisted with the idea. If every member of the chamber is present and votes against it, he may only lose four Republican votes.
When it comes to the plan, Trump offered his opinion on Tuesday afternoon, stating that the Republicans ought to shut down the government if the SAVE Act or other legislation about “election security” isn’t eventually agreed upon.
“If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO “STUFF” VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN – CLOSE IT DOWN!!!” Trump wrote on social media.
While some Senate Republicans support Johnson’s original proposal to attach the SAVE Act, others are less certain about how long the stopgap should be.
The top Senate Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), told reporters on Monday that she would rather a continuing resolution expire in December so that the incoming president—regardless of party—is not burdened with a government spending bill during their first 100 days in office.
McConnell made headlines earlier this year when he declared that he’s “not leaving the Senate” and will be focused on combating the “isolationist movement” within the Republican Party.
During an interview with WHAS radio host Terry Meiners, McConnell vowed to use his remaining time in the Senate to hit back against GOP colleagues who aim to rein in U.S. support for foreign allies such as Israel and Ukraine.
Despite his plans to step down as party leader, McConnell said, “I’m not leaving the Senate.” He added, “I’m particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party and so many others as well.”
McConnell mentioned Ukraine’s fight against Russia, a cause to which the US has allocated tens of billions of dollars.
“The symbol, lately, is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not?’ And I think it’s extremely important that we do that,” McConnell said.
Meiners noted that Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul has criticized McConnell and said he is out of touch with the people in Kentucky.
“Paul would be the first one to say that he’s an isolationist. He has been all along. This is not anything new for him. And he and I have always disagreed on this kind of issue,” McConnell said, referring to Paul.
McConnell said that he finds it “more troublesome” that others appear to be “heading in that direction, making arguments that I think are easily refuted.”
He added, “We’re not losing any of our troops, the Ukrainians are the ones doing the fighting. If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country would be next and then we will be right in the middle of it.”
Several GOP senators are already planning for a post-Mitch McConnell world after they have grown increasingly frustrated with how he’s done his job and are confident that the party’s next Senate leader will be better.
The senators told The Daily Caller that his walled-off, McConnell-centric style of leadership is no longer appropriate in today’s political climate, adding that most Republicans in the chamber believe they should work together.
McConnell revealed in late February his decision to relinquish his role as Senate Republican leader come November. The Kentuckian stated his intention to fulfill his term, concluding in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”
This announcement followed mounting criticism over his collaboration with the pro-Ukraine faction of the GOP, attempting to secure additional aid for the country without obtaining border security concessions from Democrats.
Following McConnell’s announcement, two Republican senators, John Cornyn from Texas and John Thune from South Dakota, have declared their candidacy for the next Senate GOP Leader position.
Meanwhile, Rick Scott, a Republican senator from Florida who previously challenged McConnell for the leadership role in 2020, is also reportedly considering running for the job.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson told the Caller that the anti-establishment wing of the party hasn’t settled on a candidate, but talks are ongoing.