As government nears a historic shutdown, President Barack Obama dismissed the Republican stop-gap plan today.
The Washington Post reported:
As federal officials began formal preparations for a government shutdown, the Obama administration told House members on Tuesday that their version of a short-term spending budget was a no-go, according to a congressional aid familiar with the talks.
Senate and House leaders have been struggling to reach an agreement over tens of billions of dollars in spending cuts that would avert the federal work stoppage. The latest parry from the White House comes as they prepared to meet with the president to discuss the talks Tuesday morning.
After weeks of negotiating over money, time is now also a major concern. There is general agreement that both chambers must cut a deal by Tuesday night if it is to work its way through both chambers and reach Obama’s desk before the government runs out of money Friday.
Late Monday, a senior White House aide told top agency officials to begin preparations for how to handle a shutdown, a move that was echoed in a statement by Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to House leaders.
But Boehner also announced his intention to offer Obama and Senate Democrats another stopgap funding measure that would keep federal funding flowing for an additional week.
