Steve Bannon Issues Dire Warning To Budget Bill Supporters

Steve Bannon has issued a stark warning to Republican lawmakers to vote against Mike Johnson's $1.2 trillion budget deal as Congress races to avoid a looming government shutdown on Friday.

The former White House aide to Donald Trump said that there was "zero justification" to vote for the bill, and warned that the budget would lead to a deficit of over $2 trillion, hamstringing the next president.

He added that Republicans planning to vote for the legislation should be hit with "both barrels", and issued the ultimatum: "Hey, you vote for this, you're done."

Writing on Gettr, Bannon said: "There is ZERO JUSTIFICATION to vote for this abomination. Close the border or close the government."

Newsweek has contacted Bannon for comment outside of normal working hours.

Speaking on his "War Room" podcast on Thursday, he said: "This deficit in this budget is outrageous. It's going to be over $2 trillion, mark my words, going to be over $2 trillion... And this is why it's got to be fought, it's got to be stopped now.

"All these people say: 'Oh, we need a bigger majority, we need to take the Senate, we need to get President Trump back in.' You're going to hamstring President Trump on his economic plan. You're going to hamstring that plan by passing this budget."

He added: "We got to fight and you've got to tell people: 'Hey, you vote for this, you're done - I'm done with you.' I don't care what good they've done in the past, this is signal, not noise... you got to hit them with both barrels today, this thing needs to be stopped."

Bannon also said that lawmakers need to demand that Biden shut the southern border amid the migrant crisis, or face a partial government shutdown.

"[Lawmakers] need to tell Biden either shut down the border now or you're going to shut down your government and we'll get in a room over the weekend and you convince us of what you're going to do... executive orders and others to shut down the border from the invasion," he said. "Once you do that, then we can talk about giving you the money to open your government back up. Until then, sorry."

Every fiscal year, Congress has to pass a budget before October 1. For months, lawmakers have had to pass four temporary funding bills to avert government shutdowns because of unresolved disputes over spending priorities.

Earlier this month, Congress passed a six-bill deal, known as a minibus, to fund parts of the government, including the Departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Transportation and Commerce, as well as military construction, through September 30.

Johnson's new package includes funding for the Departments of Treasury, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor and others. Congress is set to vote on the package on Friday, before a funding deadline at midnight.

Lawmakers typically get 72 hours to read over legislation before voting on it, but following the rule would lead to a lapse in government funding for many key agencies. Johnson told CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday morning: "Everybody is reading this [spending package] quickly... I think we have to get this done by the weekend."

Advocating for the bill, he added: "We have to keep moving. We gotta keep the government funded. We have to keep operating, keep the train on the tracks."

However, a number of Republican lawmakers have hit out at the bill, warning that they do not have sufficient time to review the package.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican representative, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The minibus was released at 2:32 am and is 1,012 pages of $1.2 trillion taxpayer dollars. And we are supposed to be voting on it tomorrow morning under suspension with no amendments allowed with the super scary government shutdown deadline threat looming tomorrow at midnight.

"It takes 27.8 hours for the average reader to read 1,000 pages. I guess we are supposed to just pass it first and then find out what's in it like Nancy Pelosi says."

She added: "Taxpayer funded abortions, genital mutilation surgeries for kids, men beating down women in women's sport, and more DEI and Green New Deal garbage. This is the House Republican approved uniparty minibus."

In a direct attack on Johnson, she said: "We need a Speaker of the House who will fight to secure America's border at all cost! Not one that passes a trillion dollar Democrat wish list that continues the border invasion, funds the weaponized government, and breaks our own conference rules. I'm done with this one."

Meanwhile, Representative Andy Biggs from Arizona wrote on X: "The Uniparty's $1.2 trillion minibus would use taxpayer dollars to fund benefits for illegal aliens, late-term abortions, and DEI initiatives across the nation. It is insulting to hardworking Americans and the issues that matter to them."