–Senate Majority Leader Blasts House GOP For Cutting Disaster Funds
–Sen. Reid: GOP Is ‘Nickeling and Diming the Victims of Disasters’
–Sen. Reid: Fight Over Disaster Funds ‘So Senseless’
–Congressional Republicans Accuse Dems Of ‘Playing Politics’

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Wednesday
continued to blame House Republicans for a looming fiscal stalemate that
could lead to a shutdown of the federal government.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Reid said he expects the House to
pass Wednesday afternoon a stop-gap spending bill that has insufficient
funds for a raft of disaster-ravaged communities.

Reid accused House Republicans of “nickeling and diming the victims
of disasters.”

“It’s so senseless, so unnecessary,” Reid said.

The House is expected to pass Wednesday a stop-gap spending bill
that will fund the federal government until Nov. 18 while work continues
on the regular spending bills for the 2012 fiscal year.

The stop-gap bill is needed because Congress has not passed any of
the 12 regular spending bills for the new fiscal year that begins Oct.
1.

Congressional leaders have said the main elements of the stop-gap
bill are not in dispute because the overall funding level for
discretionary programs was agreed to earlier this year by the White
House and Congress. That level is $1.043 trillion for discretionary
programs.

However, there is a dispute over the level of emergency funds. The
House GOP supports a package of $3.65 billion in emergency relief while
Senate Democrats support a $6.9 billion package.

Reid hammered House Republicans for being “so mean spirited” on the
disaster funding.

Reid said the House will vote on the stop-gap bill Wednesday
afternoon and then the Senate will take up the stop-gap bill. He said he
will seek to amend the House version of the bill to add the additional
funds for emergency relief.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican, said Tuesday that
Senate Democrats were “playing politics” with the disaster funds.

Cantor said the level of disaster funds in the House bill is
sufficient.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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