WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) upped the odds of a government shutdown Thursday, saying he would not support a short-term funding bill if his near-certain budget battle between the House and the Democratic-run Senate takes longer than two weeks.
As the clock ticks down to March 4, when the current stopgap funding measure expires, Boehner shot down what many considered to be the surest way to keep government agencies running while the two chambers hammer out the differences between their respective spending bills.
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If a government shutdown occurs, thousands of government programs would shut down immediately, with workers and contractors losing their paychecks until funding started up again, at which point they would be paid retroactively.
If the House GOP's spending plan is passed as is, economists estimate that 1 million Americans could lose their jobs. Boehner, who previously said "so be it" when presented with the possibility of public-sector job losses resulting from budget cuts, seemed to stand behind that sentiment on Thursday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/john-boehner-wont-back-budget-stopgap_n_824633.html
At his press conference Tuesday, Obama also warned against suggestions of a shutdown. "This is not an abstraction," he said. "People don't get their Social Security checks. They don't get their veterans payments. Basic functions shut down. And it -- that, also, would have a adverse effect on our economic recovery."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2011/02/what_might_a_government_shutdo_1.html
Well lots of seniors and vets are gonna be mad if their benefits stop due to a shutdown.