WASHINGTON — President Obama promised on Thursday to veto a House Republican bill that would keep the government open for one extra week and cut $12 billion in spending, while also funding the military through the remainder of the fiscal year. Obama had dismissed the gesture in private meetings and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called the measure a “fantasy” and a “non-starter,” but Thursday’s veto threat was the president’s clearest signal that the House Republican stopgap is doomed. (SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES) House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) criticized Obama’s veto threat, saying in a statement, “I urge the President revisit his decision and work with us.” A government shutdown is looking increasingly likely, Reid warned Thursday morning, charging that Republicans are holding up a deal over ideological issues. He also mocked a would-be stopgap measure moving through the House as a “fantasy” and a “non-starter.” “The numbers are basically there,” Reid (D-Nev.) said in a Senate floor statement. “But I am not nearly as optimistic — and that’s an understatement — as I was 11 hours ago.” House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said on Thursday that negotiators are not as close to reaching a budget deal as he thought last night, when he attended a meeting at the White House. “We’re not there yet,” he said in the afternoon.
Posted by
on April 7, 2011. Filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Posted by
on April 7, 2011. Filed under