The following is a Fox News report:
The federal government appeared to move one step closer to a shutdown after the White House indicated Tuesday that it won’t accept a one-week spending bill designed by House Republicans to buy more time to find a permanent budget solution, sources told Fox News.
The White House called Speaker John Boehner to tell him no deal on a one-week continuing resolution that would exact stiff demands, a source told Fox News.
But Boehner’s camp dispute that, telling Fox News that the president only said he would not weigh in on the new resolution publicly.
The resolution was a backup that Boehner would only “break glass” on if he had to, and senior budget negotiators say they weren’t sure it had the votes to pass even if it were accepted by Democrats.
Talks of a new resolution come as top-ranking lawmakers met at the White House Tuesday in what could be the last chance to reach a deal before the lights go out, which both the Obama administration and House Republicans are preparing for with notices to federal workers.
The closed door meeting of President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Boehner and their respective appropriations committee chairmen is a last-ditch effort to find a satisfactory number for operating the government for the remaining six months of the fiscal year.
Republicans, fired up by the Senate’s refusal to accept a $61 billion cut to current spending levels, said Democratic intransigence has led the nation to the brink.
“We’re looking to see how we can avoid a government shutdown but cut spending, and we’ve not made a decision on whether to move forward or not,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said ahead of the meeting.
Cantor said members are “resolute” to cut as much as possible to get the “fiscal house in order.”
“The White House has refused to take the tough issues on … What it really looks like is that the White House has increased the likelihood for a shutdown by dismissing out of hand a vehicle” that could prevent closing down the federal government.
Republicans had been negotiating a seventh short-term resolution to keep government operating for one more week so Congress can get through the machinations needed to pass a compromise spending plan.
But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who wouldn’t comment on whether the White House had rejected the GOP bill, said it is premature to talk about any short-term solution.
“What we have said, it is not necessary and not acceptable to create toll booths to keep the government going,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday that forcing the government to live week-by-week this far into the fiscal year risks undermining the economy recovery underway.
The last-ditch deal — which had been drawn up because the House needs to allow a three-day buffer before considering a longer-term budget, pushing back a vote beyond Friday night’s deadline for a shutdown — includes $12 billion in cuts from an array of places and a funding plan to provide for the Pentagon through the end of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
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6 Responses
Who cares. A shut down isn’t a big deal. What’s really closed the Park Manager. Its not the country comes to a stop. And its the democrats/liberals who’s fault it is. They refuse to cut. We must we are broke.
A government shutdown will hurt people. Not everyone of course, but many people. If you are waiting for an income tax refund it may hurt a lot. People waiting for passports, visas, etc. Most of us would not notice it, but it would hurt some people a lot. It might be worth it if it would weaken the Democrats and strengthen support for the GOP position, but that seems unlikely. Polls show that more people would blame the GOP for a gov’t shutdown at this point. The GOP should probably just go for the $30B cut plus the policy changes and focus their energies on the 2012 budget.
2. We don’t have to rely on govt. The govt won’t shutdown totally. Yes, it may take longer for a passport and the National Parks may be closed but life will go on quite well. Anyone who remembers previous shutdowns knows that there is NOTHING to be concerned about.
I can’t wait for a shutdown!!
Anonimity86, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Great Society and New Deal entitlement programs the way Obama is submitting budgets are not sustainable for another year. Even Obama’s own Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, has stated in front of the I think it was the House Ways and Means committee that the budget that the president is submitting to Congress is unsustainable. So, which way do you want it; people who can afford to wait for their income tax refunds or the government going default and the poor, old, and sick starving in the streets because THERE IS PHYSICALLY NO MONEY!!
Hey, Yonason W., where are you? Or are you Jonathan Joseph who has a CDL license? Or, are you the Jonathan Joseph who is a member of the UFT?
Let’s also not forget, the dems had a chance to pass a budget when they controlled Congress. This is LAST YEAR’S budget (2010-2011) and the dems had Congress till January. When it came time to work on a budget, the democrat party voted Present. Now the men have to do the work!!
There physically would be lots of money if (1) taxes were at the same rates as they were for much of the Reagan administration; (2) the government actually mandated accountability for defense $ in Afghanistan and Iraq; and (3) the tax breaks of the last thirty years actually produced real jobs with real wages — again, an inyan of accountability