Top US senator warns govt shutdown coming

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Top US senator warns govt shutdown coming

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's top ally in the US Senate warned Thursday

that talks on spending cuts were stalled on issues tied to abortion and the

environment and that the US government seemed set to shutdown at midnight

Friday.

" If this government shuts down -- and it looks like it's headed in that

direction, " Republicans will be to blame for insisting on " matters that have

nothing to do " with spending, said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reid said that, on spending cuts, " the numbers are basically there " and both

sides are " extremely close " after aides worked throughout the night following a

meeting at the White House late Wednesday.

But " I am not nearly as optimistic -- and that's an understatement -- as I was

11 hours ago, " because of the rifts over Republican-crafted measures to restrict

access to abortion and roll back environment rules, the senator warned.

Reid said Obama had just telephoned him and Republican House Speaker

Boehner to spur the negotiations forward and warn that he opposed a new stopgap

funding measure due for a House vote on Thursday.

Reid called the new measure " a non-starter " in the Senate and " a fantasy " and

accused Republicans of holding up a deal on funding the government to October 1

over their abortion and environmental provisions.

" These matters have no place on a budget bill, " said Reid, who was due to meet

at the White House with Boehner, Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden later in

the day.

Reid's comments came as the Republican-held House of Representatives was set to

pass a stopgap spending measure cutting some $12 billion in government outlays

but funding the US military to October 1.

A current short-term spending measure expires at midnight Friday, triggering a

partial shutdown of the US government that is expected to idle some 800,000

workers and delay military pay.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

[Guest guest]

And the Republicans are calling for a one week extension. This is so because unlike the 1995 shut down many more people are getting goodies from the government and the Republicans know the media will hammer them and blame them for riots in the streets. Already local media has been running stories featuring government dependents fretting over getting food, medical care or being kicked out of public housing, etc. Just setting the stage for the coming hatchet job.

In a message dated 4/7/2011 12:49:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Top US senator warns govt shutdown coming

[Guest guest]

And the Republicans are calling for a one week extension. This is so because unlike the 1995 shut down many more people are getting goodies from the government and the Republicans know the media will hammer them and blame them for riots in the streets. Already local media has been running stories featuring government dependents fretting over getting food, medical care or being kicked out of public housing, etc. Just setting the stage for the coming hatchet job.

In a message dated 4/7/2011 12:49:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Top US senator warns govt shutdown coming