Rep. Lynn Westmoreland Eyes Government Shutdown

Politico ^ | September 10, 2010 | James S. Hohmann

[Pan_Yans Wife]

A prominent Republican congressman raised the specter Friday of a government shutdown if the GOP wins control of the House.

Speaking to hundreds of activists gathered at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington for the Faith and Freedom Conference, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) urged the audience to stand with House Republicans when they go toe-to-toe with President Barack Obama.

Westmoreland said his caucus — presuming it takes control of the House come November — aims to pass spending bills that Obama is likely to veto. He predicted Republicans would not be able to override such a veto, creating a standoff that could cause Congress to grind to a halt.

“If the government shuts down, we want you with us,” he said.

The congressman recalled a similar shutdown that took place in 1995, when Newt Gingrich — also a speaker at the conference — was serving as House speaker. A future standstill could temporarily close national parks or delay payments from the government, Westmoreland speculated.

“We have put Band-Aids on some things that need to be cleaned out,” he said. "That is going to take some pain. There’s going to have to be some pain for us to do some things that we’ve got to do to right the ship."

As a vice chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Westmoreland has helped with candidate recruitment for congressional races. He said the group has tried to enlist candidates who are more interested in tackling the country’s problems than getting reelected in 2012.

[Pan_Yan]

&3.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pan_Yan.

[TheOldLady]

Wonderful idea. I’m all for it.

[Always A Marine]

He’s my Congressman. I want to hear more, of course. But on the face of it, I like it.

Lynn Westmoreland is also my Congressman, and he is a very good man.

We should note that Lynn did not say that Congress would shut the government down; he is warning that the Obama Administration will shut it down when it vetoes the spending bills originating from the House, and he is asking us to stick with them as Obama and his media parrots try to blame everything on the GOP. I am with them.

Here's where Lynn needs to have his ears boxed a little bit... We need to lean on him to press the "defund" message, which he has been reluctant to do. Under the Constitution, spending and tax bills can only originate in the House of Representatives. That means that regardless of what plans and programs have been enacted, the House has the sole discretion to initiate the inclusion of enabling funds in the buget -- or to exclude specific funding by their simple omission. Such is the incredible power of the House -- and if the next GOP House majority is serious about fighting the Socialist takeover, that is exactly what they must do.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

You’ve made some excellent points, and I appreciate that.

I’m going to be watching Westmoreland and the news to see if this goes further. I also want to write to him to encourage his efforts.