Government Shutdown Threat: Budget Remains Unreached

Washington D.C. ... Washington is hustling toward a government shutdown on Friday night as the time to agree on a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year grows very short.

Because of the Senate rules , Democrats could be forced to break two GOP filibusters in order to  pass a spending bill , and each vote requires a 30-hour delay . Goverment funding expires on Friday night , meaning that if negotiations don't reach a deal by the end of today  or early tomorrow , just one Republican senator could stall the vote until the deadline arrives .

If the talks Wednesday between House Republicans  and the White House are any guide  , the two parties are a long way from a deal . House Republicans  emerged from the White House telling reporters that they are  committed to finding a solution to the impasse , but were unwilling to do it unless the White House  and Senate Democrats agree to cuts beyond the $33 billion level that had previously been floated .

"The speaker told the President  that the house will not be put in a box  and forced to choose between two options that are bad for the country ( accepting a bad deal that fails to make real spending cuts , or accepting a government shutdown due to Senate inactions)" a summary of the meeting provided to reporters by House Republican leadership read :

The House has indeed proposed  a one-week spending bill that could cut government spending by $12 billion while funding the  military through the end of September  , when the fiscal year ends . House Democrats quickly rejected the offer . House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md) told reporters it's our time to put an end to the "sporadic , episodic" stop gap bills and reach a final agreement . He said that Democrats would whip up opposition to the House bill if it is brought to the floor.

House Republicans aren't willing to take yes for an answer  , Hoyer said , and was demanding for more than they are entitled by their partial control of the government , noting that Democrats control the Senate and the White House . "You would think if you're going to reach a compromise  , we get two , they get one," he said . "It appears that one side doesn't want to compromise.