Rep. Eric Swalwell’s criticism of House Republicans is as blunt as they come

When asked by host John Berman if there was going to be a shutdown, Swalwell responded:

“There shouldn’t be. … democrats They are willing to give the votes to keep the government open. But right now Republicans have failed to protect, they have failed to finance, and they have failed to govern. They are the failures.”

Swalwell sharply criticized McCarthy, whose leadership has faltered under pressure from hardliners. The speaker hoped to advance the defense bill and then prepare a provisional spending plan keep the government fully funded after the September 30 deadline. But infighting may prevent that from happening.

“You need to choose competition over chaos,” Swalwell said. “You need to choose, for the first time in your life, to be a leader instead of a spectator speaker.”