Source: NBC News
By Carrie Dann
After an all-night negotiating session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that he is “not nearly as optimistic” as he was last night about avoiding a government shutdown before a Friday deadline, saying of a federal funding gap: “it looks like it’s headed in that direction.”
The Democratic leader said that the two sides have essentially agreed on the amount of money set to be cut from the long-term budget but that Republicans have drawn a line in the sand over “ideology” – including policy issues dealing with funding for Planned Parenthood and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Our differences are no longer over the savings we get on government spending, Reid said. “The only thing holding up an agreement is ideology.”
Reid’s comments came as the White House announced another meeting with congressional leaders scheduled for 1 pm ET. The government will shut down if an agreement is not reached by midnight on Friday.
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http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/07/6424941-reid-on-shutdown-it-looks-like-its-headed-in-that-direction