Progress in talks to avert gov't shutdown

WASHINGTON -- Time growing short, Congress' leaders reported progress yesterday in talks to cut spending and avert a partial government shutdown that the White House warned would hit U.S. combat troops abroad and taxpayer refunds from the IRS at home.

President Barack Obama checked in separately by phone with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), then asked the two men to join him at the White House for an evening meeting. He acted after deciding "not enough progress had been made," said spokesman Jay Carney.

Determined to avoid political blame if a shutdown occurs, Boehner said the House would vote today on a one-week stopgap bill to keep the government open while cutting $12 billion in spending and providing the Pentagon with enough money to stay open until the Sept. 30 end of the budget year.

"I think this is the responsible thing to do for the U.S. Congress, and I would hope the Senate can pass it and the president can sign it into law," he said.

He also criticized Obama, though saying he likes the commander in chief personally. "The president isn't leading," Boehner said. "He didn't lead on last year's budget, and he's not leading on this year's budget."

Reid had little good to say about Republicans in his remarks on the Senate floor. "Democrats' bottom line hasn't changed. Republicans' bottom line hasn't stayed still," he said, one day after meeting privately with Boehner to try and get talks back on track.

Obama has already ruled out the weeklong measure Republicans intend to push through the House, and Senate Democrats have labeled it a nonstarter. Republican officials said the details of the bill could yet change. But passage of any interim measure is designed to place the onus on the Democratic-controlled Senate to act if a shutdown is to be avoided.

The White House used its unmatched megaphone to emphasize the stakes involved in the negotiations, arranging a briefing for the presidential press corps on the ramifications of a partial government shutdown.

The officials who spoke did so on condition of anonymity, under rules set by White House aides eager to apply pressure to congressional negotiators.

They said military personnel at home and abroad would receive one week's pay instead of two in their next checks. Among those affected would be troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the region around Libya.

National parks would close, as would the Smithsonian Institution and its museums clustered along the National Mall within sight of the Capitol. Officials were less clear about the Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled for this weekend in Washington.

NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said he was unable to predict what the impact would be on preparations for the shuttle Endeavor's flight on April 29, or Atlantis' trip into space on June 28.