WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 Republican in the House says the chamber won’t pass another short-term federal funding bill to avert a government shutdown if talks between the GOP and the White House fail to produce agreement by an April 8 deadline.
Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor says time is up and it’s up to Democrats controlling the White House and the Senate to offer significant spending cuts as part of legislation to fund the government for the rest of the budget year.
Democrats counter that GOP leaders fear a tea party rebellion and have pulled back from a near-agreement on a spending cut figure.
Cantor’s comments signal that a partial shutdown of the government is increasingly likely next Friday unless the pace of negotiations accelerates sharply.
