WASHINGTON — A White House push for a budget deal yesterday devolved into an exchange of accusations over spending priorities and political gamesmanship, increasing the odds of a partial government shutdown on Friday.
The budget fight eclipsed most other business on Capitol Hill as Senate Democrats, White House officials, and House Republicans worked behind the scenes to cobble together a compromise plan to cut spending, fund government through September, and avert the first shutdown since 1996.
The stakes are high. A budget deal could slash federal funding for such programs as Planned Parenthood, public broadcasting, home heating oil assistance, and grants that help cities’ elderly and poor. The threatened partial shutdown could result in furloughs of federal workers, the shuttering of national parks, and a delay or cutoff of some federal services.
The outcome could also define the economic platforms — and voters’ perceptions — of Democrats and Republicans as both parties begin the jockeying for the 2012 presidential elections.
President Obama summoned congressional leaders to the White House yesterday to break through the impasse. The parties left emptyhanded.
“We have made clear that we are fighting for the largest spending cuts possible. We’re talking about real spending cuts here, no smoke and mirrors,’’ House Speaker John Boehner said afterward, warning that the $33 billion in cuts cited by Democrats as part of a potential agreement is not enough. He added that Republicans “will not be put in a box’’ by Democrats pushing them to back off certain proposals.
Obama sounded a more hopeful note, but he, too, spiked his comments with a warning. “We are closer than we have ever been to an agreement,’’ he said, adding, “We are now at the point where there is no excuse to extend this further.’’
Boehner and Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, met again late in the afternoon without White House officials present. No deal was completed, although spokesmen called the talks productive.
The lack of progress and the approaching Friday deadline prompted the White House Office of Management and Budget to warn agencies to prepare for a shutdown. Some on Capitol Hill are bracing for the repercussions.
“Nobody wins,’’ said Representative Michael Capuano, Democrat of Somerville. “The American people will have trouble accessing federal agencies and programs, thousands of employees will go without pay, and we won’t be any closer to addressing our deficit in a meaningful way.’’
Throughout the day, members of both parties traded accusations over the impasse, each party blaming the other while claiming a desire to avoid a shutdown. Senator Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, joined his House colleagues at a press conference and targeted his Senate counterparts, saying “the Senate has produced nothing.’’Continued...
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