After progress on a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown at month’s end stalled in the House, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) warned Tuesday that shutdowns are “a loser for Republicans, politically.”

House Republicans are working to pass a short-term funding bill ahead of the September 30 deadline that would allow the government to continue running through October 31.

“We’re waiting to see what the House is going to do on a continuing resolution,” McConnell said at his weekly press conference. “I think all of you know I’m not a fan of government shutdowns. I’ve seen a few of them over the years; they never have produced a policy change, and they’ve always been a loser for Republicans, politically.” 

He went on to say it is “incredibly important” to avoid a shutdown.

His comments came after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) pulled a procedural vote on a proposed funding measure because of dissent within the Republican conference.

Speaking about the House’s stopgap spending bill, McConnell said he supports “what the Speaker is trying to accomplish because he’s trying to avoid a government shutdown.”

“So we’re pulling for the speaker and hoping we can move forward,” he said.

McConnell said that while it is “critically important to the American people for the government not to shut down,” he “can’t predict exactly how this ends.”

“We’ll see what the House does and act accordingly,” he said.