Democrats continuing to shut down the federal government are “in the middle of a civil war,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos, a former history teacher, told Newsmax on Monday.
The Florida Republican, who joined Congress earlier this year, appeared on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Early” and argued that the shutdown has more to do with internal divisions within the Democratic Party than with policy differences.
“As a former history teacher, they’re in the middle of a civil war,” he told host Alex Kraemer. “Democrats aren’t afraid to lose to a Republican — they’re afraid to lose to an even more radical Democrat. In their mind, they need to ‘fight Donald Trump,’ but in reality, they’re fighting the American public.”
Haridopolos said the people suffering most from the impasse are working families, service members, and federal employees.
“These are folks who want to see the military get paid, who want SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits restored, and who want air traffic controllers back to work,” he said. “And yet, Democrats are shutting it down and hurting people.”
Haridopolos said neither he nor his staff is taking paychecks during the shutdown, calling it “a matter of principle.”
The lawmaker reminded viewers that House Republicans had already voted weeks ago to keep the government open while allowing future negotiations over healthcare and other spending issues.
“Republicans say keep the government open, and let’s negotiate things like healthcare in the future,” he said. “Obamacare has been a colossal failure … a socialist experiment gone wrong.”
He blasted Democrats for holding out for what he called a “$1.5 trillion ransom note” just to reopen the government temporarily.
“We can’t afford a $1.5 trillion ransom note that Democrats have said will be their price to open the government back up,” Haridopolos said. “It’s unacceptable spending that would crush our already precarious budget.”
The congressman also defended President Donald Trump’s frustration with Senate gridlock after Trump posted on Truth Social urging Republicans to end the filibuster to stop the shutdown.
While Haridopolos said he values the filibuster for major debates, he believes it should not be used to block simple budget measures.
“There should never be a government shutdown,” he said. “Keep the status quo when there’s fighting among Republicans and Democrats, but don’t punish the American public.”
Haridopolos warned that eliminating the filibuster entirely could empower Democrats to push radical structural changes, including D.C. statehood and packing the Supreme Court, if they regained power.
But he said Trump’s frustration is understandable given how Democrats are “acting like the sky is falling,” even as the economy shows strength.
“We have record stock numbers, deals on tariffs with China, real progress in Israel, a secure border, and interest rates coming down,” Haridopolos said. “And here, the Democrats want to take all of this success — it just shows it’s all about politics and their own civil war.”
He added that the shutdown is personally affecting his own family:
“Our son is in the U.S. Air Force, living paycheck to paycheck like most of his fellow soldiers,” Haridopolos said. “They’re visiting food banks. It’s ridiculous. The people who protect our freedom every day are put in this stressful situation.”
Haridopolos concluded by urging Democrats to “step up, open the government, and debate the issues later.”
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