Reid Decries Talk Of A Government Shut-Down

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing back against talk from Republicans over shutting down the U.S. government.

“We do not need extreme threats,” Reid said in a statement sent out Friday.

The Majority Leader’s response follows a suggestion from Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), that a shutdown could be in order.

Reid added that his party will work to make important spending cuts, but noted that they will do so responsibly.

“When it comes to spending, the question is not whether we cut, it’s what we cut,” Reid explained. “We should not be cutting education and taking cops off the street when we are giving $20 billion in giveaways to oil companies that are raking in record profits, or when the Pentagon is spending billions to develop a flying ray gun that Secretary Gates has said is completely unworkable.”