Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Republicans should stand firm in their negotiations with Democrats over a government funding deal because the American people want change in Washington.
“I think that everybody misjudged what President Trump won, when they bring in a 1500-page bill that is a joke,” Gingrich said on “The Faulkner Focus” on Friday.
“That was not a continuing resolution,” he said of Congress’ bill, which was revealed on Wednesday and was intended to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“This was actually a brand-new omnibus spending bill, and it was a total violation of politics as usual,” Gingrich continued. “‘Don’t worry what the candidate says before the election. He’s going to sell you out afterwards.’ Well, Trump didn’t sell them out. And now we have we’re facing the first great reality of making America great again.”
TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called Congressional leaders’ 1500-page stopgap spending bill to keep government funding, a “joke.” (Reagan Presidential Library)
Congressional leaders unveiled a spending bill on Wednesday to punt the government funding deadline down the road that included 1,500 pages worth of policy and funding riders.
The continuing resolution (CR) was strongly opposed by Trump and DOGE members Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who pushed for a streamlined version of the bill instead.
However, the second Trump-backed spending bill also failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday, after 38 Republicans and all but two Democrats voted to kill the bill.
The deadline to avoid a shutdown is late Friday.
NEWT GINGRICH SAYS TRUMP IS BY ‘DE FACTO’ IN REALITY, THE PRESIDENT
A Trump-backed spending bill was defeated in Congress on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; iStock)
It comes after two days of chaos in Congress as lawmakers fought among themselves about a path forward on government spending. The national debt has soared to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.
Gingrich said Congress, which is “filled with people who love pork and deficit spending,” is now “colliding with the man the American people picked to change things.”
The Republican advised it would be better if the government did shut down, so Trump could show Americans he is not going to “sell them out” by putting forward a spending bill that would further bloat the federal government.
“So I would urge Republicans, stand firm for very large scale change, fight it out and rest comfortable while the Washington news media and the Washington lobbyists and the Washington bureaucrats are all going to go crazy. The rest of the country is going to applaud, finally having a majority that actually intends to change it,” he added.
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Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the vice president-elect, leaves the Senate chamber as lawmakers work on an interim spending bill to avoid a shutdown of federal agencies, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sources told Fox News Digital on Friday that House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers — but under three separate bills.
It would also involve an agreement to act on the debt limit next year as part of Republicans’ planned massive conservative policy overhaul via a process called reconciliation.
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady, Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.
