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Right-wing media call for GOP to reject budget deal amid government shutdown threat

Right-wing media figures are calling on Republicans in Congress to reject the tentative deal, with some calling for a government shutdown, if the government funding agreement doesn’t include restrictions on migration sought by far-right lawmakers

Written by Charis Hoard

Research contributions from Isabella Corrao, Jane Lee & Ethan Collier

Published

As Congress continues to work towards a bipartisan budget agreement to fund the government through 2024, right-wing media figures are criticizing the tentative deal that House Speaker Mike Johnson struck with Democrats, calling for congressional Republicans to reject it “if our border isn’t secured.” Some figures have escalated to pushing for a government shutdown until there are provisions within the budget agreement to limit asylum claims and restart border wall construction.

  • Congressional leaders have reached a tentative bipartisan budget agreement to fund the government through 2024

    • On January 7, congressional leaders of both parties reached a $1.66 trillion tentative agreement for government spending in 2024, which includes expedited $20 billion cuts to the IRS, eliminating funding that was allotted to the department by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. In a letter to GOP lawmakers, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the tentative deal “the most favorable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade.” President Joe Biden also stated that the deal “provides a path to passing full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and are free of any extreme policies." [The Washington Post, 1/7/24]
    • Far-right members of Congress have pushed for a government shutdown unless the tentative budget deal includes provisions to “limit migrants’ ability to claim asylum, restart construction of a border wall and cut into President Biden’s power to grant humanitarian parole to migrants.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), chair of the House Freedom Caucus, has expressed that filing a motion to vacate Johnson is “not off the table” while continuing to voice opposition to the budget agreement. [The Washington Post, 1/5/24; Fox News, 1/10/24]

  • Once news broke about a tentative deal, right-wing media figures criticized both the deal and Johnson, calling on GOP lawmakers to reject it

    • On War Room, Steve Bannon stated, “Maybe it's time to look for a replacement” for Johnson. Continuing, Bannon also proclaimed, “Either shut down the border or shut down the government.” [Real America's Voice, War Room, 1/10/24]
    • On X (formerly Twitter), far-right troll Jack Posobiec claimed that “they want you focused on Hunter Biden so you won't focus on the fact they won't shutdown the government over the border.” [Twitter/X, 1/10/24]
    • American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp lectured Republicans in Congress: “If you are serious about changing funding priorities the only threat that works is to be willing to walk away and allow the government to shutter.” [Twitter/X, 1/10/24]
    • Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk ordered Johnson to “sit down and be a leader, or get out of the way” when referencing his inability to broker a budget deal that would limit asylum seekers' ability to cross through the southern border. Continuing, Kirk also claimed that the country is in “a slow-motion civil war” and questioned whether Johnson is a true Christian over his handling of the southern border. [Real America’s Voice, The Charlie Kirk Show, 1/8/24]
    • Federalist co-founder Sean Davis claimed that the only people supporting the tentative deal are “those who’ve spent us into $35 trillion in debt while doing deliberately everything in their power to not fix the border.” Davis also claimed that one article urging Republicans to take the deal was “obviously propaganda” from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). [Twitter/X, 1/8/24; 1/8/24]
    • On Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, host Laura Ingraham demanded that the GOP reject the deal to deprive Biden of “an opportunity to take a victory lap.” Ingraham also claimed that the Biden administration is “covering for an incompetent and insubordinate cabinet official” by not having border security funding in the deal. [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 1/8/24]
    • On X, Kirk claimed that the tentative budget deal is “basically the same deal conservatives were so disappointed in last summer that they fired Kevin McCarthy for.” Kirk also criticized the lack of funding to manage asylum seekers at the southern border, which he claimed is “in total meltdown.”  [Twitter/X, 1/8/24]
    • On Newsmax’s Carl Higbie Frontline, host Carl Higbie proposed that allocations of government funds should go toward securing the border, constituting “an immediate hiring freeze, table any other federal issues, until they protected the American people.”  [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 1/8/24]
    • Blaze Media senior editor Daniel Horowitz called the tentative deal “the same Orwellian spending cut [former Speaker Kevin] McCarthy forged,” claiming that “in Johnson’s estimation, we must keep every agency of this government funded no matter what.” In a piece titled “Mike Johnson just cemented Kevin McCarthy’s debt bomb,” Horowitz wrote, “You can swap out the leadership of the Republican Congress, but some things never change. They forge the same deals with the same talking points every single time.” [Blaze Media, 1/8/24]
    • Telegram user The Patriot Voice claimed that Johnson is “a TRAITOR” who is “working for the Globalists… to put the FINAL nail in the coffin for America.” [Telegram, 1/7/24]
    • On Qanon forum TheDonald, user Tesic claimed that the tentative deal was “TREASON,” and that “Mike Johnson has folded over everything, this is exactly McCarthy’s deal.” Continuing, the user questioned, “Are you peasants tired of elites spitting in your face and pissing in your mouths? How do we fix DC?” [Patriots.win, 1/7/24]
    • Real America’s Voice host Ben Bergquam demanded that “any representative that votes for this BS budget before shutting down the border needs to be out of office!” [Twitter/X, 1/8/24]
    • An article published in The American Conservative pushed for the firing of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as a part of the tentative budget deal. The article also proposed that congressional Republicans could “close ranks” to “exert significant influence on the selection of a new DHS secretary.” [The American Conservative, 1/8/24]
    • On The John Fredericks Show, War Room host Steve Bannon called for the House Freedom Caucus to implement “guerilla warfare” to slow down the budget deal while fighting for border security provision. [John Fredericks Media Network, The John Fredericks Show, 1/8/24]

  • Even before the tentative deal was announced, right-wing media figures were calling for a government shutdown, especially “if the border isn’t secured”

    • On The Mark Levin Show host Mark Levin proclaimed, “We will be the voice for a government shutdown if spending is not under control, if the border isn't secured, because now the interest on the debt will be greater than the entire defense budget.” [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 1/4/24]
    • Levin proposed that “there must be a government shutdown.” While ranting about Democrats’ supposed efforts to “destroy and dismantle the constitution,” Levin claimed, “When there is a government shutdown, as there must be, given what's taking place on the border and the debt … they’ll turn to the 14th Amendment again, and they'll tell you that Biden has the power unilaterally to raise taxes, to raise the debt, to borrow money, to spend, and all the rest.” [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 1/3/24]
    • Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller demanded that “Congress must prohibit ALL funds for Biden’s mass resettlement of illegals inside the US. Not one more dime. Not one more penny. [Not] one more funding bill that finances open borders.” [Twitter/X, 1/4/24] 
    • Students for Trump chairman Ryan Fournier proclaimed that “it is 100% worth seeing over government shutdown if that means delivering on border security.” [Twitter/X, 1/7/24]