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Subscribe to RSSAfter an all-night negotiating session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that he is “not nearly as optimistic” as he was last night about avoiding a government shutdown before a Friday deadline, saying of a federal funding gap: “it looks like it’s headed in that direction.”
The Democratic leader said that the two sides have essentially agreed on the amount of money set to be cut from the long-term budget but that Republicans have drawn a line in the sand over “ideology” – including policy issues dealing with funding for Planned Parenthood and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Our differences are no longer over the savings we get on government spending, Reid said. “The only thing holding up an agreement is ideology.”
Reid’s comments came as the White House announced another meeting with congressional leaders scheduled for 1 pm ET. The government will shut down if an agreement is not reached by midnight on Friday.
House Republicans are lobbying for some “policy riders” – attachments to the budget bill – including ones that would defund the president’s health care plan, cut all federal funding to Planned Parenthood, and target EPA greenhouse gas rules.
Those riders, particularly those relating to abortion, have no place in a budget bill, an exasperated Reid argued.
“It’s not realistic to shut down the government on a debate dealing with abortion,” the Nevada lawmaker said. “It’s not realistic and it’s not fair to the American people.”
Reid also announced that the Senate cannot pass a one-week stopgap bill – including very deep cuts but continued funding for the Pentagon - that would delay a shutdown.
The House today will vote on that bill, which would fund the Department of Defense through the rest of the year, cut $12 billion in spending and prevent the District of Columbia from using city taxes for funding abortion for low income women.
On the Senate floor today, Reid called that one-week measure “a non-starter.”
But Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell urged Democrats to agree to the proposal, saying that the stopgap measure is "well within the bounds of what their own leadership has defined as acceptable."
The alternative, McConnell said, is a shut down.
NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Shawna Thomas contributed to this report.
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FINALLY! It used to be there were not a thread bit of difference between the two parties. Let's have this fight. The direction this country as a whole wants to go will be determined in 2012!!
Our financial stability is critical, and these Cuts are Necessary Cuts... its not negotiable.
The best "investment" Obama can make is to reduce the deficit, which is headed to $14 TRILLION !
Democrats are making a big mistake by dragging their feet on this. Democrats do not seem to be serious about our budget problems, about this country's financial stability.
Meh. The GOP lacks credibility. If the deficit was so vital to them, why didn't they easily cut spending by $6 trillion between 2000 and 2006 when they controlled the House, Senate and Presidency? They could have cut the budget as much as they wanted?
This is just social engineering, morality mandates and greater control over our personal lives. Eliminating Planned Parenthood makes no difference to the economy, just to poor single mothers.
Shut it down, for thirty days, and watch how well we get along without government up everybody's a** trying to run things. Get people and other countries off the government cheese and figure it our for themselves how to make it. How ya durin?
I don't care whose fault it is or why you, who we hired to advocate for us, think you can just 'SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'! Would a business man close his business for several days and lose alot of income just because he can't figure out what to do next? Do you think the American people can put their lives on hold because they don't agree with their employer. Do you even realize that people are struggling every damn day to feed their children? Or to get decent medical care? Aren't those basic needs? And YOU, my government, are telling me that you will shut down? Get your self back to the drawing board and come up with a solution! And don't come out until you're done! We, the people, should revolt! Stand up united until you, OUR GOVERNMENT, can stop saying "we don't have a solution". That's not an option. It's not an option for me and it's not an option for the PEOPLE that you will affect! I am so angry at my government right now.
There sounds like an “Urgency of Now” with a budget deadline looming on the horizon. However I don’t think it is as serious as the media ramps it up to be. We’re not broke. But that is what the critics of President Obama want the people to think. But this whole situation puts the Republicans/TEA Party in the spotlight concerning their patriotism as it paints the picture back to 1995.
Republican/TEA Party = Extreme measures… extreme response
No Soldier’s pay… Treasonous
No Police pay… Criminal
No Health and Human Service… Inhumane
No Infrastructure/Transportation Policy… Corrosive
No Counterterrorism… Devastatingly Dangerous
No Food and Drug Administration… Contaminated/Nuclear Poison
No Immigration/Minority Affairs Policy… Racist
No Budget Compromise… Humiliating and Disturbing
These are the extreme measures that the Republicans are willing to take just so that they can regain power. They truly, truly, truly believe that the American public is that naïve. However that may be true of those watching FAUX News because that is the only station they take their tripe to. They robots that obtain their thoughts and words from Failed Entertainers and Failed Governors have no peace of mind because the message of hatred and envy is continuously being pumped into their brains. The TEA is spiked and tainted.
Welcome to the Republicans United States of America… same as the old United States of America… fear, shame, greed, hostility, malice, envy, gluttony, suppression, segregation. They have had this same message for the past 20 years. If they haven’t changed by now, they never will.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
And they are dividing “US”A.
Louis-You must be kidding? Your party controlled both Houses of Congress and the White House and failed to pass this budget last year. Your party controlled both Houses of Congress (the 111th Congress) and amassed more debt during those two years than the first 100 Congresses combined. Your party increased the unemployment rate when they said they would lower it. Your party is trying to take over our Healthcare and soon, they will turn their sights on banks, oil and the internet. Your party is the treasonous party for trying to destroy our country so they can rebuild it to their liking.
Liberals are insane we are going to reach no more spending limit in MAY WHAT PLANET ARE YOU PEOPLE ON> We are broke in debt for 14 trillion and owe money to the Chinese ENOUGH already. SHUT DOWN THE MONEY PIT NOW!
Really? Seriously? This is what you think? If the government shuts down for 30 days to get their @&* together, that this country will suddenly turn "Criminal, Treasonous, Inhumane, Corrosive..."? That without a balanced budget, the country will suddenly become poisoned and racist??
Do you even have the ability to think on your own? Are you a non-racist because someone else TELLS you you shouldn't be?
Sounds like a typical point of view from someone who needs others telling them how much toilet paper they're allowed to use.
Hang tight, my dear. Brain transplants may someday be available for you.
For my money, the best outcome is to send the government workers all home and let them contemplate what it means to be a true public servant. Maybe if their personal budget gets a little tight and they have to start spending their own money more wisely, they will learn what it means to spend the taxpayer's money wisely!
My 80 year old mother is on Medicare. She has an ingrown toenail. Instead of asking the nurse that Medicare pays to visit her at home once a week to clip it, she lets medicare pay a foot specialist to cut her toenails. Just one small example of the RAMPANT waste of taxpayer money that goes on EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY! Did you know that 57% of immigrant households (legal & illegal combined) are on one form of public assistance or another? When my ancestors immigrated to the US, they either paid their own way or they went back home. Lets stop wasting hard earned taxpayer money (no, I'm not a wealthy person, I make about the national average pay)! Statistics on immigrant use of public assistance courtesy of the The Center For Immigration Studies - report dated April 2011.
I can't wait for the next election, we may actually see the complete removal of the repubilcan party. The people can surely see that this party ownly supports greed and people who want to force their beliefs on others.
You are certainly not above the fray, you are at the bottom of the barrell. Liberals are the one's that will lose in the next election.
Hurry out and cash that welfare check, dont forget to use your food stamps to stock up during the shut down.
Why isn't there discussion on the opposite end. By that I mean sure cutting spending is required. I think that is a general consensus. But why not increase revenues by taxing everyone who should be paying and aren't. It's time big business pays their fair share and individuals who are cheating and conniving pay their share too. let's get enforcement underway to increase revenue instead of all the time talking about cutting. If all paid what they are supposed to be paying, this whole problem would not exist. That's not even mentioning the waste, fraud and abuse issue in medicare and social security.
It's kind of the pot calling the kettle black. The dems ramrod their crap through for a couple years and all the sheep are happy. Now we're trying to stop some of the insanity going around and the sheep are mad.
I don't care whose fault it is or why you, who we hired to advocate for us, think you can just 'SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'! Would a business man close his business for several days and lose alot of income just because he can't figure out what to do next? Do you think the American people can put their lives on hold because they don't agree with their employer. Do you even realize that people are struggling every damn day to feed their children? Or to get decent medical care? Aren't those basic needs? And YOU, my government, are telling me that you will shut down? Get your self back to the drawing board and come up with a solution! And don't come out until you're done! We, the people, should revolt! Stand up united until you, OUR GOVERNMENT, can stop saying "we don't have a solution". That's not an option. It's not an option for me and it's not an option for the PEOPLE that you will affect! I am so angry at my government right now.
And this is the government thousands of our young men have given their lives for? And when those overgrown squabbling toddlers in D.C. decide in their tantrum to shut down the government, these young heroes won't get paid?
As for Trump saying he has doubts Obama was born on American soil, I have serious doubts that Trump was born on this planet.... always have.
So, if ALL the pork and special interest is cut how close does that get them?
Everyone who can read or comprehend the English language, and many who cannot, know that the only way, ONLY way, for anything to get done in DC is "I'll vote for it if you give me this".
Come on, all three major parties do it.
Just make bills pure and simply the bills. Don;t pass legislation because you can get something special for it. Legislators are already special.
They got elected......
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that he is "not nearly as optimistic"
I guess old prince harry is not letting go of that cowboy poetry festival he wants....Unbelievable. What part of 14 trillion debt do they not get? What planet do demorats come from?...UGH!
It's all crap.
All you sheeple fed your kool-aid by the MSM should wake up! You have no clue as to what is coming in the next 10 years economically to the USA if the budget is not cut harshly.
The party that shuts down the government because of idealogy is the party that is at fault. If it really was about the dollars, they would pick a certain percentage and cut across the board. Trying to push idealogy thru the budget needs to be stopped.
Why all the arguing about the 2011 budget? The debt ceiling will not be raised again. Mr. Geithner has cried wolf too early with the bailout. So, basically, if it doesnt shut down now, it will in May. Face it, the country is over spending. The country is not broke, there is a lot of money coming into the U.S. Government. The money is just being spent like there is NO LIMIT. There are limits.
This is embarassing, our US GOV politicians will let our government shutdown while we are fielding two wars and good men and women are in harms way. Then what about all the US Gov services programs (VA Hospitals etc) that people depend on and count on. Talk about irresponsible US GOV representatives of our country and to the people of the USA. The current administration needs to be the bigger man and take some responsibility, make some concession, and stay open for business.
The repubs are doing what they do best..political blackmail at the expense of the country....Its my way or no way! Political blackmail is bull and they will regret it...wait and see. The dems cant be the ones doing all the giving. Oh and Harry is right! Planned parenthood funding doesnt belong in a budget bill neither do environmental issues. (planned parenthood has not been funded by Tax dollars for abortions..it was signed into law over a year ago..but good try repubs. another slap at the publics intelligence again!) If the dems attached that crap to a budget bill the repubs would be weeing on themselves...but what do u expect...they got rules for themselves and rules for the rest of us. I am sick to death of the repubs. acting like big babies..this is real people its effecting.
And to think, Nancy Pelosi was supposed to have gotten this done in Oct. of last year.
Frankly I think the curtail riders need to get off the proposed cuts bill. I DO NOT believe that taking funding from planned parenthood is a good idea unless we want an out of control population explosion because people can't afford contraceptives (These people would then need Welfare to make ends meet). I also do not agree with limiting the EPA as I live near a town that regularly has to warn people to stay inside due to dangerous air pollution levels. I do think the democrats should concede to the demands to get rid of the healthcare overhaul bill, as so far it has only caused controversy and dissent among the American population. There is a better way to do these things, we just haven't thought of it yet. Take those big two off the bill, and get it passed already. Not to mention, the government will lose MILLIONS of dollars a day if they do shutdown, which doesn't seem very cost effective to me.
Shut it down and open it back up with all new players.
What don't these pathetic Dumbocrats understand about cutting the budget......stop wasting our money.....shut it down until that day........if it ever comes....
Republican infighting and grandstanding. Trouble is, this does nothing but cost more money. The 800,000 or 1,000,000+ employees & contractors forced to sit home for a week or two will get paid anyway, for doing nothing.
More than likely they will not, due to the controversy over the budget. Congress has been discussing passing a mandatory 2 week furlough for federal employees, so it stands to reason if the government shuts down those people will go without pay and congress would call it the mandatory furlough.
Basically, I don't think we can believe either party. Both of them have manipulated the reporting and accounting processes to the extent that it requires teams of accountants to find out where the money begins.. where it goes. You want to find the crooks?? Follow the money. But we cannot and I believe it was arranged that way.
We must... must change the way we are dealing with the Federal Government and the parties. We cannot allow these people to drive us to doom with excessive spending. Not a soul in Washington is say, for example, we cannot afford to continue to pay welfare to illegal aliens, and we cannot continue to educate them. Those two item continue to be done, and neither party is stopping the fraud and corruption.
We must.. must change the way we are dealing with the Federal Government and the Parties.