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KEY
QUOTE
"We cannot afford the brinkmanship or hostage-taking we saw from
House Republicans earlier this year when they pushed our country
to the brink of default to appease the most extreme members of
their party," Schumer said in an open letter to colleagues on
Friday.
"When the Senate returns next week, our focus will be on funding
the government and preventing House Republican extremists from
forcing a government shutdown."
THE TAKE
The Senate returns to Washington on Tuesday with the House of
Representatives coming a week later, leaving lawmakers little
time to agree on a deal to keep the federal government funded
past the months' end. Republicans say sharp cuts in spending are
needed to stem the nation's growing $31.4 trillion national
debt.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives, bending to
the will of a small group of hardline conservatives, is pushing
to cut discretionary spending to a fiscal 2022 level of $1.47
trillion, $120 billion less than top House Republican Kevin
McCarthy and Democratic President Joe Biden agreed to earlier
this year.
CONTEXT
* The White House on Thursday urged Congress to hammer out a
short-term funding measure called a "continuing resolution" to
avoid a shutdown starting Oct. 1.
* There is disagreement within the House Republican caucus about
the depth of the proposed cuts, with one moderate Republican
likening them to a "root canal."
* Goldman Sachs analysts said earlier this month that they view
a shutdown as "more likely than not."
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel
Wallis)
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