White House threatens shutdown to stop GOP policies

By Pete Kasperowicz, Pete Kasperowicz

Published December 20, 2015

The White House said Thursday that if Congress sends President Obama a spending bill that includes Republican policy "riders" he opposes, he would not sign the bill, and instead would allow the government to partially shut down.

Republicans are considering adding language in a huge spending bill that must be signed by next week that would gut the Wall Street reform law, block Syrian refugees, and pause EPA regulations.

But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said those sorts of ideas wouldn't fly, and made it clear that Obama wouldn't sign such a bill.

"Republicans are going to have to demonstrate a willingness to actually work in bipartisan fashion to find common ground on budget issues," he said at the White House. "If they don't, we're looking at another government shutdown."