'Clown show': House Republican slams McCarthy and GOP 'lunatics' as clock ticks toward shutdown

In the latest sign Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Republican conference is rupturing, U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a freshman Republican from New York, slammed his fellow House Republicans as “lunatics” and a “clown show,” and their actions hurling toward a shutdown of the federal government “stupidity.”

Congressman Lawler was responding to news Speaker McCarthy was forced to cancel a procedural vote on critical legislation to help keep the federal government open after the midnight, September 30 deadline, because different factions among House Republicans are making wide-ranging demands, most of which will not pass the Senate. A vote had been scheduled for Tuesday to allow debate on the Defense Dept. appropriations bill. Some House Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), want to remove any funding for Ukraine from the bill.

Politico described the situation as: “Hardliners block defense spending bill as GOP civil war worsens,” calling the “failed vote … a major blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy.”

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“This is not conservative Republicanism,” Rep. Lawler told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “This is stupidity.”

“The idea that we’re going to shut the government down when we don’t control the Senate, we don’t control the White House,” he added. “These people can’t define a win. They don’t know how to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

“It’s a clown show,” Lawler charged. “You keep running lunatics, you’re going to be in this position.”

The White House quickly weighed in on Congressman Lawler’s remarks.

“Don’t take it from us …” said White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt, appearing to suggest Republicans, not Democrats, are the ones calling Republicans lunatics.

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