government shutdown

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House Passes Stopgap; Obama Promises Veto

President calls it a 'distraction,' and it won't clear Senate anyway

(Newser) - The GOP-controlled House easily passed another stopgap measure today that would keep the government running for another week, but President Obama called it a "distraction" and promised to veto it if reached his desk. It probably won't, however, because Senate Democrats aren't expected to even consider it. Obama, meanwhile,...

Nicholas Kristof: GOP Gives Democracy a Bad Name



 GOP Gives 
 Democracy 
 a Bad Name 
Nicholas Kristof
Apr 7, 2011 1:21 PM CDT

GOP Gives Democracy a Bad Name

Why are we paying these people?

(Newser) - Nicholas Kristof has spent a lot of time in Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, and China recently, talking up the virtues of democracy. “But if Congressional Republicans actually shut down the government this weekend, they will be making a powerful argument for autocracy,” he writes in the New York Times...

Shutdown Odds: 52-48
 Shutdown Odds on Rise 
Apr 7, 2011 12:22 PM CDT

Shutdown Odds on Rise

Intrade is on the fence as Reid, Boehner, and Obama meet again

(Newser) - The rhetoric is sounding more and more dire about a government shutdown, and the Intrade markets had the odds in favor of it happening at 52%-48% about 1pm ET. That's up from 40% about noon. President Obama, Harry Reid, and John Boehner have another come-to-Jesus meeting today, following a morning...

Government Shutdown: John Boehner, Harry Reid, President Obama All Working to Avoid It
 Nobody Really Wants 
 a Shutdown 
Analysis
Apr 7, 2011 10:42 AM CDT

Nobody Really Wants a Shutdown

Boehner, Reed and Obama all pragmatists

(Newser) - The federal government sure looks like it’s hurtling toward a shutdown, but there might be three reasons for hope: John Boehner, Harry Reid, and President Obama. All three are considered pragmatists who don’t seem all that interested in a shutdown, Politico observes. “There is nothing in Boehner’...

GOP to Vote on 1-Week Budget Extension

And Democrats aren't happy about it

(Newser) - With Republicans and Democrats still leagues apart on the 2011 budget , House Republicans will vote today on yet another extension. This one would only be for a week, but would include a full-year Pentagon budget. It would also include a lot of domestic cuts, as the price to keep the...

Budget Meeting Fails to Avert Shutdown

Shutdown would be 'inexcusable,' Obama says after talks with Reid, Boehner

(Newser) - President Obama emerged from a late-night meeting with John Boehner and Harry Reid Wednesday with no deal to avert a government shutdown. The president told reporters, however, that the 90-minute talk had helped to "narrow the issues" and he's still confident that a deal can be forged before the...

Shutdown Would Furlough 800K Federal Workers

Military wouldn't get paychecks; Obama, Boehner, and Reid meet tonight

(Newser) - Lots more bluster today, but no apparent progress on averting a government shutdown that would begin at midnight Friday. As crunch time nears, President Obama is scheduled to meet tonight with John Boehner and Harry Reid, reports Reuters . The White House, meanwhile, warned that 800,000 federal workers would be...

What the Shutdown Means for Government Workers

Guidance released on what will shutter

(Newser) - Cabinet secretaries and federal agency heads have begun briefing their employees on what to expect in the increasingly likely event of a government shutdown. According to a Q&A distributed yesterday, and obtained by the Washington Post , employees won’t be able to work voluntarily, and those who do work...

Dems 'Win' if Government Shuts Down: Boehner

And with no compromise yet reached, that possibility looms

(Newser) - The possibility of a government shutdown looms larger today after yesterday's back-to-back meetings in Washington failed to bring a compromise. For the past week, House Republican leaders and Senate Democrat leaders have been discussing $33 billion in cuts, but John Boehner yesterday said he may seek up to $40 billion....

Dems Act Like Jerks as GOP Shreds Constitution

Jon Stewart has no kind words for either side

(Newser) - On last night's Daily Show , Jon Stewart summed up the continuing budget crisis thusly: "So Democrats want $30 billion in cuts, Republicans want $60 billion in cuts. Rather than both sides going, well, how about $45 (billion), we're going to shut the government down." And, true to form,...

Obama to Budget Negotiators: 'Act Like Grownups'

John Boehner, Harry Reid will meet later today

(Newser) - President Obama sounded like an impatient parent today as the threat of a government shutdown grew larger. Admonishing lawmakers to "act like grownups," the president said John Boehner and Harry Reid would meet again later this afternoon, reports Politico . If nothing comes of it, Obama said he'll order...

Things That Could Happen if Government Shuts Down

Unfortunately, two of them involve, er, waste

(Newser) - As a government shutdown looms once again, Miller-McCune notes 10 things that could happen if Congress doesn't agree on a budget by Friday:
  1. Toxic waste could pile up: During the last shutdown, cleanup was halted at 609 Superfund sites.
  2. Disease hotlines could go unanswered: They did last time, when the
...

To Stave Off Shutdown, GOP Wants $12B in Cuts

New cuts would offer one-week delay

(Newser) - Once again, a government shutdown looms Friday—and another delay will cost $12 billion in budget cuts if the GOP has its way. The House Appropriations Committee is drafting a bill that will, for another $12 billion in new cuts, keep domestic agencies and the State Department running for one...

Lawmakers Busy Sniping as Budget Talks Stall

Obama calls White House meeting as deadline looms

(Newser) - The federal government is careening rapidly toward a shutdown, so Democrats and Republicans alike are scrambling to ... lob political grenades at each other. Still. A roundup of the latest:
  • President Obama today invited John Boehner, Harry Reid, and other top lawmakers to the White House tomorrow morning to "urge
...

CHIMPS May Help Avert Government Shutdown

Cuts in mandatory programs can help reach magic number: Schumer

(Newser) - Your trendy government acronym of the day: CHIMPS, as in "changes in mandatory program spending." The wonk-speak emerged today on the Sunday talk shows as a way to avoid a government shutdown, reports the Wall Street Journal . Charles Schumer said Democrats have come up with $10 billion worth...

Tea Party Rally Message: 'Cut It or Shut It'

Members urge Republicans to push for even deeper cuts

(Newser) - Amid signs of a potential deal to avoid a government shutdown, a group of Tea Party activists gathered in DC today to urge Republicans to keep on slashing. "Cut it or shut it," and "We want less," went the chants outside the Capitol, reports the Hill...

As Shutdown Approaches, Congress Just Squabbles

Dems blame GOP-Tea Party divide, Cantor blames Dems, hilarity ensues

(Newser) - Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans are going so poorly that it’s looking more and more likely that the government will shut down when its current temporary funding measure expires April 8, the Wall Street Journal observes. Both sides spent yesterday criticizing each other, with Harry Reid blaming the lack...

Dems to Offer GOP Another $20B in Spending Cuts

...bringing total to $30B, which may not satisfy Republicans

(Newser) - With the threat of a government shutdown less than two weeks away, all eyes are on the budget. The White House and congressional Democrats are working on a proposal to cut another $20 billion in spending, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . It’s the biggest cut the administration and...

Boehner: We Will Cut Social Security, Medicare

'Most Americans don't have a clue' about the problem, says Speaker

(Newser) - John Boehner wants cuts to Social Security and Medicare in next year's fiscal budget, even if voters may not like it, he tells the Wall Street Journal in an interview. “Most Americans don't have a clue” about “how big the problem is,” and it’s time for...

Government Shutdown? It's a Media Fantasy
 Government Shutdown? 
 It's a Media Fantasy 
Howard Kurtz
Mar 3, 2011 3:50 PM CST

Government Shutdown? It's a Media Fantasy

Howard Kurtz: It's not going to happen, but journalists love the fake drama

(Newser) - Phew, we just barely avoided a government shutdown with the latest stopgap spending measure, right? "Not a chance," writes Howard Kurtz in the Daily Beast . "There was never going to be a shutdown." What's more, when the drumbeat to potential doom begins again in two weeks,...

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