Pat Dollard

Tweet

Politico:

A prominent Republican congressman raised the specter Friday of a government shutdown if the GOP wins control of the House.

Speaking to hundreds of activists gathered at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington for the Faith and Freedom Conference, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) urged the audience to stand with House Republicans when they go toe-to-toe with President Barack Obama.

Westmoreland said his caucus – presuming it takes control of the House come November – aims to pass spending bills that Obama is likely to veto. He predicted Republicans would not be able to override such a veto, creating a standoff that could cause Congress to grind to a halt.

“If the government shuts down, we want you with us,” he said.

The congressman recalled a similar shutdown that took place in 1995, when Newt Gingrich – also a speaker at the conference – was serving as House speaker. A future standstill could temporarily close national parks or delay payments from the government, Westmoreland speculated.

“We have put Band-Aids on some things that need to be cleaned out,” he said. “That is going to take some pain. There’s going to have to be some pain for us to do some things that we’ve got to do to right the ship.”

As a vice chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Westmoreland has helped with candidate recruitment for congressional races. He said the group has tried to enlist candidates who are more interested in tackling the country’s problems than getting reelected in 2012.

And though his party has been cast by Democrats as the “party of no,” Westmoreland promised that a new version of the Contract With America is on its way, referring to a document released by the Republican Party in 1994 before reclaiming a majority in the House that November. He said it might be packaged as “promises” Republicans will make to voters if they win.

Republicans would also waste no time taking advantage of a House majority: The first item on the agenda would be a repeal of the health care reform bill, he said.

“When we take the majority, we’re going to assume that the American people have revolted, or whatever, against the Obama agenda, the progressive agenda, for Washington,” he said.