Fed lawmakers spar over possible shutdown

WASHINGTON - In a deepening struggle over spending, Republicans and Democrats traded charges yesterday over a possible government shutdown when funding expires March 4 for most federal agencies.

"Read my lips: We're going to cut spending," declared House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who pledged the GOP-controlled House would refuse to approve even a short-term measure at current funding levels to keep the government operating.

Moments later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) retorted that Boehner was resorting "to threats of a shutdown without any negotiation."

The sparring occurred as the House labored on veto-threatened legislation to cut more than $61 billion from the budget year that's more than a third over. That bill also would provide funding to keep the government operating until Sept. 30.

With that one bill at the center of a political dispute - the House has repeatedly worked well past midnight this week - Boehner chose the moment to open a second front. To underscore the budget-cutting commitment by the 87 conservative new members of his rank and file, he announced that Republicans would move quickly this spring on companion legislation to cut "wasteful mandatory spending."

The current legislation contains cuts to literally hundreds of domestic programs, from education to environmental protection, nutrition and parks. In addition, it has become a target for first-term conservative Republicans eager to demonstrate their budget-cutting bona fides.

When the House GOP slashed a homeland security grant program known as the Urban Area Security Initiative by $87 million, New York City said it faced losing $12 million of its funding.

But an amendment offered by Reps. Nita Lowey (D-Manhattan) and Steve Israel (D-Huntington), and passed by a voice vote, limited the damage by shrinking the number of cities eligible for the grant money from 64 to 25, and so increasing New York and the other 24 cities' share of the remaining funds.With Tom Brune