With the latest budget showdown looming next week, Rep. Michele Bachmann said Thursday that she's looking for a fight.
"We've never said we want to see government shut down," Bachmann told reporters before speaking at a Tea Party rally outside the U.S. Capitol. "What we want is a true fight — we truly want to fight to cut government spending."
Bachmann has said she will vote against any budget bill that does not de-fund the health reform law, something that Democrats and President Obama won't support. The government will shut down on April 8 if no budget bill or continuing resolution is passed.
At the rally, which attracted around 100 supporters, Bachmann said that the Tea Party needs to keep holding Republicans' "feet to the fire."
"$61 billion in my opinion is a starting point," Bachmann said, referring to the amount the GOP-led House passed in budget cuts. "It is not the goal."
At the same time, Bachmann downplayed the impact of a government shutdown using a new Republican talking point.
"There is no such thing as a true government shutdown," Bachmann told reporters. "If government shuts down, it's actually a slowdown… Social security checks would continue to go out, the military would continue to be paid, and all essential government services."
