Ryan on shutdown: ‘This is utter madness’

A visibly frustrated Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) took to the House floor on Saturday to blast the gridlock leading to a government shutdown, calling the impasse “utter madness.”

“We do some crazy things in Washington, but this is utter madness,” Ryan said.

A partial government shutdown went into effect earlier Saturday morning after a House-passed spending bill to extend funding through Feb. 16 failed to pass the Senate.

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Most Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted against the stopgap measure, as did nearly all House Democrats.

Republicans are blaming Senate Democrats, specifically Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), for the shutdown. But Democrats argue that Republicans are responsible for governing, given that they control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Still, most major legislation needs a supermajority of 60 votes to pass the Senate.

Democrats are insisting on a deal to protect immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, known as “Dreamers,” in order to back a spending bill. But Republicans argue that negotiations are ongoing.

“There is no reason for this shutdown. We have been, and we continue to be, willing to work together in good faith on immigration,” Ryan said.

The Speaker then addressed his remarks to federal workers impacted by the shutdown, spanning workers in the Capitol, medical researchers and members of the military.

“You should not have to go through this uncertainty. You deserve so much better than this needless shutdown. And we hope that it will end very soon,” Ryan said.