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In the face of a looming debt crisis, Utah's delegation of elected lawmakers in Washington are watching and waiting; frustrated just like everyone else, they say.
"No one has a clue what's going on right now," said Congressman Rob Bishop of Utah's First district.
I think it's ridiculous. I'm incredibly frustrated, as are the people of Utah. I expect people in Washington to behave better than this.
–- Rep. Jim Matheson (D)
" I think it's ridiculous," said Congressman Jim Matheson, Utah's lone Democrat. "I'm incredibly frustrated, as are the people of Utah. I expect people in Washington to behave better than this."
The stalemate continues this afternoon, even as pressure mounts on Congressional leaders, working toward a midnight deadline to prevent the Federal government from shutting down.
Related:
Time's about up: Shutdown looms without agreement
The Obama administration readied furlough notices for hundreds of thousands of workers Friday as Republican and Democratic leaders accused each other of refusing to give ground on a deal to keep operations running.This afternoon, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said $78 billion dollars in cuts was presented by Republicans, but rejected by President Obama.
Today, Utah Senator Mike Lee said he had information that the cuts were more in the neighborhood of $38-$39 billion dollars. "But that's just a rumor," Senator Lee said.
Talks also centered on funding for Planned Parenthood in Washington D.C., one of the issues where House Republicans dug in their heels during negotiations.
Today, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah, denied it was an effort to halt abortions, although he federal funding for abortions is improper anyway.
"With regard to Planned Parenthood, look we've got to start cutting back," Senator Hatch said. "And why would we give $350-million dollars a year to Planned Parenthood, over 10 years $3.5 billion dollars, when we can't afford it?"
But Senator Mike Lee doesn't like the prospect of a government shutdown either. "It could be a really big deal, or it could be not a very big deal," Lee said. "We don't know exactly how big a deal it is until it happens. That's one of the reasons we want to avoid it."
It could be a really big deal, or it could be not a very big deal. We don't know exactly how big a deal it is until it happens. That's one of the reasons we want to avoid it.
–- Rep. Mike Lee (R)
Congressman Jason Chaffetz is among those who want to make a statement about the larger problem now. "Until we seriously tackle our debt and deficit, I'm going to have a hard time voting for anything unless it seriously curbs back spending," Chaffetz said.
Likewise, Congressman Rob Bishop is predicting more tough times ahead for Congress, as lawmakers tacke on a national debt at $14-Trillion dollars.
"This isn't the only fight that's going to happen this year," Bishop said. "There's still a budget issue that deals with the debt limit, the new budget that we still have to bring forward. These fights are going to come up again, this is just one of those skirmishes."
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
