In his weekly Capitol briefing with reporters, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed the Senate will quickly pass a two-week stop-gap measure to keep the government funded through mid-March. But, he said, Republicans have artificially limited the timeframe to increase their bargaining power ahead of a possible government shutdown on March 18, and he criticized them for behaving irresponsibly.
“It’s a terrible way to govern, and no one is more of an expert on that than presidential candidate John McCain’s chief economic adviser Mark Zandi, who’s now the head of Moody’s, who says that if the Republicans get what they want…700,000 jobs we’re going to lose,” Reid said.
Democrats in the Senate, and the White House wanted to extend government funding for a full month, to give House and Senate leaders time to work out a six month spending measure. But Republicans insisted on two weeks, which increases the pressure on both parties to reach a deal that can pass both Houses. Republicans are betting that the shorter bargaining period means they’ll have more influence over the shape of the final spending bill.
