Congressman Pat Harrigan Backs OWTA, Says Nobody Wins in Government Shutdown

Congressman Pat Harrigan has been keeping up with Harvey Levin's OWTA -- which stands for "Out With Their Asses" -- and he told us on TMZ Live he's on board.

With the federal government shutdown now in its record-setting 37th day, Harrigan told us, "The only thing that's assured during a government shutdown is that the American people lose, and we're watching the American people lose in real time."

And for that reason, the Republican representing North Carolina thinks Harvey makes a good point by proposing every congressperson's office be up for grabs next election.

Harvey points out, "For more than 200 years, this country has been able to operate because Congress has been able to compromise and negotiate. They can't do it now."

According to Harrigan, the major problem is that we -- as a nation -- not only disagree on solutions, we can't even agree on the problems. Fortunately, Harrigan had a pitch to solve this ... more veterans in elected office.

He said, "One thing I'll tell you about veterans in Congress ... we really don't argue about reality. It doesn't matter whether we're conservative or whether we're liberal ... we actually understand the problems that America faces, and we don't argue over the problem statements."

Harrigan is a former Army Special Forces officer. He ran for -- and won -- a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina's 10th congressional district in 2024.