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SALT LAKE CITY -- One Utah lawmaker says a shutdown of the federal government would not be such a bad thing.
Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, says Republicans should stick to their guns and demand spending cuts and a balanced budget -- even if it means shutting down the federal government temporarily. He says he does not like the idea of that happening, but says the alternative is much worse.
Any inconvenience citizens face because of a temporary shutdown will pale in comparison to national insolvency.
–Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman
Wimmer said, "Any inconvenience citizens face because of a temporary shutdown will pale in comparison to national insolvency."
He says unless the government can stop fiscal insanity, the country is headed towards a more permanent government shutdown.
"Right now, the federal government is $14 trillion in debt," Wimmer said. "They're spending one and a half trillion more than they bring in. We need to cut the deficit and pass the balanced budget. Anything short of that, then they are taking us into a train wreck."
Wimmer says he thinks "a temporary government shutdown will be less intrusive than people are thinking it will be, because things will continue to work, things will continue to run on time, and the state will continue to provide the same programs they provide right now."
Related:
Time's up: shutdown looms without agreement
A deadline looming, the Congress' top Democrat accused Republicans on Friday of risking a government shutdown because they want to make it harder "for women to get cancer screenings."While that may be true for some people, it will not be the case for federal government employees, members of the military and their families who depend on a paycheck from the federal government.
"I'm really disappointed in the people who are running the country," said Sandy Collett, a sergeant's wife. "Why aren't the people that are elected doing what's right for their citizens and those who are serving their country?"
If the shutdown does happen, tens of thousands of federal employees in Utah will be impacted. In addition, 4,500 state employees who run federal programs locally will also be affected.
The government has directed those workers to have a contingency plan in place, just in case.
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