Charlotte, North Carolina - Friday April 8, 2011 - As the clock strikes midnight tonight, in the absence of a working budget, the Federal Government will enter a costly partial government shutdown. Troops will not be paid on time. Services will not be provided. Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees will be furloughed, only to likely return to work with back pay and with overtime work as the projects that were delayed during the shutdown come due.
 

Democrats and other progressives will seek political gain by blaming this partial shutdown on Republican intransigence. Do not be fooled. If this partial government shutdown occurs, it will be for one reason and one reason only, because Democrats failed to act.
 

Despite having the White House and massive majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate in 2010, the Democrats failed to pass a Budget for this year either prior to the election or during the lame duck session. They found time to enact massive, unconstitutional new entitlements, but they failed to do the basic work of government in passing a budget.
 

When Republicans took control of the U.S. House in January 2011, they set about doing the work the Democrats had failed to do, and in H.R. 1 they enacted funding for the remainder of the year with a modest $61.3 Billion cut (modest in comparison to the 82% increase in Federal discretionary spending while Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House).
 

Also, House Republicans respected the wishes of the American people who are adamantly opposed to taxpayer funding of abortions, and cut all funding to Planned Parenthood, America's largest abortion provider.
 

In response to Republican action in the House of Representatives, the Democrats in the Senate failed to pass either H.R. 1 or any other plan of their own.
 

Finally, last night, Republicans passed a Troop Funding Bill that would have kept the government open for one more week and made certain that American Troops are paid even if a government shutdown occurs.

Unfortunately, President Obama issued a veto threat and chose increased spending and funding for Planned Parenthood over making sure our troops are paid.
 

"With the 2010 elections, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that it is time to address our debt crisis and cut spending. The Republicans heard that message and have acted. It is deplorable that President Obama and Senator Reid would choose to shut the government down instead of listening to the American people," stated MeckGOP Chairman Gideon Moore.
 

MeckGOP Vice-Chair Pat Murray added, "We're grateful for the actions of Rep. Sue Myrick and the rest of the Republican leadership in standing for the future generations of Americans who will have to pay our debts. Now is the time to act that they may have the opportunities that we have."