AFP B
By Stephen Collinson and Olivier Knox,
On Friday 8 April 2011, 22:18 EST
US Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner makes a statement on the budget negotiations to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Ugly public posturing raged between Republicans and Democrats Friday, after a budget impasse left the US government within hours of effectively running out of money and being forced to shut down
Ugly public posturing raged between Republicans and Democrats Friday, but last-ditch talks carried on behind the scenes to stop a budget row from shuttering the government within hours.
With a midnight deadline (0400 GMT Saturday) concentrating minds, a day of sound and fury on Capitol Hill subsided into an tense but expectant calm as senior party leaders continued horse-trading behind closed doors.
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Fury as 800,000 face layoffs
Frantic last-ditch talks are on to stop a budget row from shuttering the US government within hours.
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On a day of drama, Obama made calls to the key powerbrokers, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, while operatives from the White House and Congress held multiple contacts.
Reid also had talks late Friday with the Senate's top Republican Mitch McConnell, and was due to make a statement at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT), aides said, though was not expected to announce a breakthrough.
Both the Senate and House must sign off on any eventual deal on funding the government through to October 1.
Should the eleventh hour efforts fail, around 800,000 federal employees would be temporarily laid off, paychecks for frontline combat soldiers would be delayed and even Blackberry smart phones of government officials would go dark.
National parks would close, passport services would halt and no new pioneering medical trials would start, but operations vital to national security like the war in Afghanistan and border services would go on as normal.
Earlier, Republican and Democratic leaders could not even agree on what they disagreed on, as both sides played to core political supporters in public even as their negotiators pressed on with exhaustive closed-doors talks.
Democrats accused Republicans of pandering to ultra-conservatives but Republicans charged their foes were not serious about cutting spending and had not got the message from their defeat in November's mid-term elections.
But it was possible that the flame throwing meant both sides were appeasing core constituencies while closing on a deal palatable to the large political center ground after a showdown with huge political implications.
Boehner charged that a deal was foundering because Democrats were balking at cuts in government programs that Republicans say are vital to curtailing the expanding deficit.
"We have no interest in shutting down the government," he said, adding he was hopeful that an agreement could still be reached.
"But we're not going to roll over and sell out the American people like it's been done time and time again here in Washington.
"When we say we're serious about cutting spending, we're damn serious about it."
Reid however said that the two sides had agreed on 38 billion dollars in cuts and slammed Republicans for including a bid to curtail social programs in the deal, charging they were the puppets of social conservatives.
Reid cited a Republican attempt to curtail funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides preventative health care, clinics, reproductive education, cancer screening and sex education.
"Republicans want to shut down our nation's government because they want to make it harder for women to get the health services they need," Reid said in a hard-hitting speech on the Senate floor.
"Republicans are asking me to sacrifice my wife's health, my daughter's health and my nine granddaughters' health.
"As a legislator, I'm frustrated. And as an American, I'm appalled."
Planned Parenthood also provides a limited abortion service, which explains how it is often embroiled in fierce political battles, but US law prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for pregnancy terminations.
Republican lawmakers emerging from a lunchtime meeting with Boehner said a deal was still possible.
"He told us 'no deal,'" said House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa.
But House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier said "I'm very optimistic" that a deal can be cut "in the next few hours."
Dreier said Boehner did not disclose a figure for tentative spending cuts and did not detail the fate of Republican-crafted policy "riders" aimed at restricting access to abortion and rolling back environmental rules.
As the closed-door meeting wrapped up, loud applause could be heard.
Republicans gave Boehner a standing ovation "just for standing firm on spending cuts," said one lawmaker.
Obama canceled a planned trip to Indiana on Friday to stay in Washington and see the final push to the end. He also called off a weekend away with his family in the historic Virginia city of Williamsburg.
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Thấy vẻ mặt căng thẳng và đầy lo lắng của Tổng Thống Mỹ Barack Obama và các nhân vật quan trọng trong đó có ông John Boehner mà thương cảm .
Những ông bà "vịt kiều yêu nước" ở Mỹ nhân lúc này nên đề nghị với Chính phủ Mỹ cắt hết những tiền viện trợ cho tập đòan Việt gian độc đảng độc tài thổ phỉ buôn nòi bán giống giết dân hại nước với cái thành tích "đỉnh cao trí tuệ lòai người" đã từng "đánh cho Mỹ cút Ngụy nhào" nham nhở mất dạy là cái đảng csVN, và ngưng ngay cái việc tự nguyện chùi chân rửa mặt bưng bô cho bọn thú vật csVN đi là vừa, chớ để lũ Việt cộng chúng vừa được tiếp máu bơm hơi ngồi trên ngai vàng vừa phơi phới hưởng thụ vừa chà đạp người dân Việt nghèo khó chúng nó vừa cười cái "bọn côn đồ đĩ điếm vượt biên vượt biển chạy theo Đế quốc Mỹ ăn bơ thừa sữa cặn" bây giờ lại trở về lòn trôn chúng nó và đánh đĩ bằng mồm ?!
Có NHỤC không ?
Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
09042011
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CSVN là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC
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