Harry Reid said he was appalled Republicans would consider shutting down
the government over Planned Parenthood and family planning funding
In separate statements late this morning, both Harry Reid and John Boehner agreed that we are very close to an agreement to prevent a federal shutdown, but said an agreement had not yet been reached.
Reid said both sides had agreed on the numbers, but that Republicans continued to insist on banning funds for family planning and Planned Parenthood.
Boehner's brief statement offered no specifics on the state of negotiations other than to say that he believed we were on the cusp of a deal. He offered platitudes about cutting spending, and urged the Senate to pass the House's so-called "troop funding bill." Boehner's statement, which amounted to no more than three or four sentences, seemed to be focused more on keeping up the appearance of brinksmanship and maintaining support from his caucus than on actually addressing whatever issues remain outstanding.
For his part, Reid said he was "appalled" and "personally offended" that Republicans continued to insist on the Planned Parenthood funding ban. "Men and women should be outraged," Reid said. "Republicans only have a few hours left to look in the mirror and realize how shameful it wold be" to block a deal over family planning and women's health services funding. "The tea party is trying to move its extreme social agenda, issues that have nothing to do with funding the government. They are willing to throw women under the bus, even if it means shutting down the government."
Reid said tea party opponents of Planned Parenthood and family planning funding had a right to debate their views, but that holding the government hostage was unacceptable.
Assuming that a deal is reached today (and I bet there will be one), what will probably happen is that the Senate will take up the so-called "troop-funding" bill that House Republicans passed yesterday, and substitute a "clean" CR to keep government open for a few more days while the details of the deal are written into legislative language. Democrats have already put the House bill into the Senate calendar, making it clear they are contemplating this course of action. If the Senate passed the a clean CR, it would head back to the House, which could pass it later today.