Washington, DC — The U.S. government came within hours of shutting down this past weekend, thanks to Rep. Dan Bishop and his extreme MAGA allies like Matt Gaetz.

Statement from Emily Trifone, DAGA’s Deputy Communications Director:

“Dan Bishop’s shutdown threat was harmful to North Carolina’s working families. He’s too extreme to be Attorney General.”

The Charlotte Observer Editorial Board: Brewing government shutdown? Blame NC’s Dan Bishop and his fellow GOP rebels

• “Throughout his political career, Bishop has consistently been someone willing to take extreme measures, regardless of the consequences.
• “He may have been able to get away with that behavior in his solidly Republican district, but it’s an odd strategy for someone who is running for attorney general — a statewide office — in 2024.
• “Shutting down the government doesn’t seem to be something an ordinary politician would want to take credit for, yet Bishop might be willing to do just that — a position so ridiculous that no other North Carolina Republican has joined him.”

New York Times: The Republicans Driving Congress Toward a Shutdown

• “With a Sept. 30 deadline looming, hard-right House Republicans have formed a wall of opposition to a temporary measure to fund the government.”
• “Already, at least 10 hard-right lawmakers have declared they will not vote for any stopgap measure under any circumstances, because they are opposed to funding the government — even temporarily — with a single up-or-down vote.”
• “An outspoken voice against any stopgap proposal that has been floated in the House, Mr. Bishop is calling for government spending to be pulled back to pre-pandemic levels. Like the other Republican holdouts, Mr. Bishop is using the leverage of a shutdown to force the House to consider individual spending measures.”

 This Republican government shutdown threatened to force some military personnel and law enforcement officers to work without pay. In North Carolina, there are more than 94,000 active duty military personnel.

It could have hurt America’s economy — three previous government shutdowns in 2013, 2018, and 2019 cost American taxpayers nearly $4 billion. This shutdown would have jeopardized the country’s economic progress and harmed our servicemembers.

Bishop, who was a ringleader in trying to force the government shutdown, is running for North Carolina Attorney General next year. His recklessness endangers the livelihood of American families, including servicemembers, officers, and those he seeks to represent in North Carolina.

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