Senate Dems reject formal talks with House to end shutdown
By Ramsey Cox – 10/01/13 10:01 AM ET
Senate Democrats on Tuesday rejected negotiating with the House on government funding, leaving no clear path for ending the federal shutdown that began overnight.
The Senate voted 54-46 to table a House request for a conference committee on a continuing resolution (CR), marking the third time that Democrats have voted down legislation from the lower chamber since Monday.
“The government is closed,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. “All over America federal employees are getting furloughs this morning … because of the irrationality that is going on in the other side of the Capitol.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats had been rooting for a shutdown all along.
“Democratic leaders in Congress finally have their prize — a government shutdown that no one seems to want but them,” McConnell said. “With just hours left to go Democrats voted again and again to reject reasonable legislation. … They don’t even want to talk about it.”
To see who is responsible for the shutdown, just listen to who’s happy and who’s not.
“It’s exactly what we wanted, and we got it.” — Rep. Michelle Bachmann on the shutdown
“Lemmings with suicide vests.” — U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., describing his GOP House colleagues during the shutdown debate
A friend who works for a federally operated museum and has been furloughed said the world is laughing at us.
Smithsonian ? yes but the good news is 9 out of 10 IRS agents are also furloughed yipeee!!!
wow… those museum guys are well connected.