By MICHAEL FALCONE and AMY WALTER
The clock is ticking on a government shutdown, and as the April 9 deadline approaches, so far both sides appear to have spent more time posturing than negotiating.
In a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce this morning House Speaker John Boehner doubled down on his calls for the Senate to "do its job" and sort out a spending bill to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year.
"The Senate ? has not passed any long-term bill. And this has made talks on a final bill very difficult," Boehner said this morning, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. "It has now been almost 40 days since the House passed its bill. House Republicans are not going to negotiate with ourselves. The Senate must act."
Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats had put even deeper proposed cuts on the negotiating table and accused the GOP of bowing to an "extreme minority" in their party.
"Our latest proposal is at $70 billion. That's $6 billion away from the proposal of the Republicans, which was $76 billion," Reid said on Tuesday. "Republicans need to decide which is worse -- angering their Tea Party base or shutting down the government and threatening our fragile economy even more. The recovery right now is fragile. A shutdown would make it really bad."
On the Hill, ABC's Matthew Jaffe and John R. Parkinson hear from Democratic sources that Reid's offer to include nearly $20 billion more in cuts than his previous offer was retracted when it appeared that Speaker Boehner would reject the proposal due to Tea Party opposition -- a claim that Republicans deny. http://abcn.ws/hFz5KZ
Boehner argued that the House has already done its part, passing a bill that cuts $61 billion from current spending levels -- "more than $100 billion compared to the levels in the president's last budget," he said this morning.
Making matters worse in the war of words, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, was overheard on a conference call yesterday saying that members of his party should use the word "extreme" to describe the level of budget cuts sought by Tea Party-affiliated GOP lawmakers.
Meanwhile, conservatives are devising new rhetorical strategies to try to shift the blame over to the Democratic side of the aisle, as The Hill's Russell Berman reports. It's not a shutdown, "It's a 'slowdown,' according to the new refrain from Tea Party leader Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Or as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) put it on Monday, the stalemate over spending could cause the government 'to partially shut down.'" http://bit.ly/hzxYEl
"We should avoid a government shutdown," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who rode into office on a wave of Tea Party enthusiasm, said in an interview on "Good Morning America" today. "That's not the ideal scenario."
Whether cooler heads will prevail, once again, remains the biggest question looming over Capitol Hill. Speaker Boehner indicated yesterday that he would not rule out the possibility of another short-term continuing resolution if both sides are unable to reach an agreement by next week's deadline. A Congressional source tells ABC News that the budget talks have resumed -- Boehner's staff met with Reid's staff in the Majority Leader's office last night.
And in today's Washington Post, Paul Kane notes that Boehner may get his budget passed by luring Blue Dog Democrats to his side. "With 241 Republicans, GOP leaders can afford to lose 23 GOP votes before needing Democratic help. That's why [House Majority Whip Kevin] McCarthy reached out to leaders of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of centrist Democrats -- such as [North Carolina Rep. Heath] Shuler -- from conservative-leaning districts." It could end up being a win-win for Boehner. He looks statesman-like. And for Blue Dogs, they finally get to exert the influence they didn't have in Democratic-led Congress. http://wapo.st/gdo6dd
RUBIO: 'I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE VICE PRESIDENT IN 2012.' That's what the freshman Florida Senator told ABC's George Stephanopoulos this morning in his first live network television interview since taking office. Rubio also ruled out a run for president this year, saying that he has a lot of work ahead of him in the United States Senate. http://abcn.ws/hmXkWN
According to ABC's senior political correspondent, Jonathan Karl, who recently spent time with Rubio in Florida, the senator says "he's prepared to buck his party leadership again on government spending when the issue of raising the national debt limit comes up later this spring. Republican leaders have suggested they will demand a vote on a balanced budget amendment before holding a vote on whether to raise the debt limit. Rubio says that is not enough. 'It certainly isn't enough. A balanced budget amendment doesn't ultimately deal with the fundamental issue that we owe almost $15 trillion and growing, with no real plan to address that moving forward,' he said. 'The reality is our government spends money it doesn't have,' Rubio said. 'It's doing it at an alarming pace and there's no plan to stop it in the near future.'" http://abcn.ws/gPWhgD
Sen. Rubio talked about his views on President Obama's handling of the situation in Libya in Jonathan Karl's expanded "Nightline" interview: http://abcn.ws/eeyxDX
WHY RUBIO 'WON'T VOTE TO RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT.' In a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed today, Rubio also lays out the reasons why he plans to take a hard line on not raising the debt ceiling. "Our generation's greatest challenge is an economy that isn't growing, alongside a national debt that is. If we fail to confront this, our children will be the first Americans ever to inherit a country worse off than the one their parents were given," he wrote. "I will vote to defeat an increase in the debt limit unless it is the last one we ever authorize and is accompanied by a plan for fundamental tax reform, an overhaul of our regulatory structure, a cut to discretionary spending, a balanced-budget amendment, and reforms to save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." http://on.wsj.com/i4PYvg
OBAMA: 'NOOSE IS TIGHTENING' AROUND GADHAFI. "President Obama believes that Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi's inner circle is realizing that the 'noose is tightening, that their days are numbered.' The president spoke with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer one day after addressing the nation on his reason for joining with NATO and other allies in imposing a no-fly zone over Libya and suggested that it is pressuring Gadhafi into stepping down," ABC's Karen Travers reports. "'I think what we're seeing is that the circle around Gadhafi understands that the noose is tightening, that their days are probably numbered, and they are going to have to think through what their next steps are,' the president said. The president said there are signals Gadhafi and his allies can give to indicate they are ready to go but until that point, the U.S. and its international allies will continue to apply pressure. 'They're going to have to think through what their next steps are. But as I have been clear throughout, there are certain things that are non-negotiable,' he said. 'He's got to pull his troops out of places like Mistrata -- he's got to stand down with respect to his troops.'" http://abcn.ws/g21Ti8
ON TODAY'S "TOP LINE. ABC's Rick Klein and Jonathan Karl talk to Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., about the spending battle on Capitol Hill. Also on the program, a clip of Karl's interview with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who weighed in on his own political aspirations as well as his views on President's handling of foreign policy and domestic issues. Watch "Top Line" LIVE at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. http://bit.ly/ABCTopLine
"TOP LINE" REPLAY: JOE HECK. The Nevada Congressman expressed concern about the United States' military role in Libya and how long it could last in an interview on yesterday's edition of "Top Line." "The president used the analogy to Bosnia last night in his speech, but we're still in Bosnia some 15 years after we first went in and the same type of situation by trying to enforce a no-fly zone to alleviate the humanitarian crisis," the Heck said. "So what is it that we're hoping to accomplish? Why are we there? And what are we hoping to gain and when are we going to get out?" http://abcn.ws/gGtLAG (h/t ABC News' Kristina Bergess)
THE BUZZ
HEALTH CARE GROUP TAPS INTO GOP'S SOCIAL NETWORK. ABC News' Amy Bingham reports that some Republican members of Congress will soon have more than friend requests to deal with on Facebook. The left-leaning health care advocacy group Americans United For Change is launching an ad campaign on the social networking site to point out what they call "two-faced" GOP lawmakers. Specifically, those who sponsored bills in support of health care funding, but voted to cut to similar programs in the later continuing resolutions. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Reps. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., Dave Reichert, R-Washington state, and Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., can all expect some scathing Facebook ads. One such ad reads "Mike Fitzpatrick sponsored a bill supporting cancer research, then voted for a budget that guts...cancer research. Say what?" The bill to which Americans United For Change is referring, is the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act sponsored by Fitzpatrick, Lance and Reichert would create a plan to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. All three representatives voted for HR 1, which included cuts in funding for cancer research. The advocacy group said the ads are a part of "continuing efforts to hang the misguided budget priorities in HR 1 around Republicans' necks."
OBAMA TO CALL FOR REDUCING AMERICAN DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. ABC's Sunlen Miller previews a speech President Obama will deliver later this morning at Georgetown University. There, he will "outline his plan for America's energy security," and set the goal for reducing the amount of oil imported by the U.S. from the rest of the world by one-third over the next decade. Senior administration officials, briefing reporters in advance of the speech said the president will lay out "serious" proposals to solve the long-term problem of the nation's energy consumption, focused on four areas: domestic production, incentives for natural gas, biofuels, and efficiency. http://abcn.ws/igXc72
WHITE HOUSE PLAYING FAVORITES WITH ENERGY LOANS? "When the White House announced the federal government would loan $465 million to Tesla, a California start-up company with plans to develop an all-electric sedan, President Obama called it an 'historic opportunity to ensure that the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and trucks are made in America.' The loan also represented a lucrative opportunity for Steve Westly, a major investor in the car company who had raised more than $500,000 for the president's campaign," ABC News' Brian Ross, Matthew Mosk and Ronnie Green report. "In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy lent more than half a billion dollars to companies backed by Westly's California venture capital firm. In 2010, the White House tapped Westly for a seat on a special energy advisory panel that gives him regular access to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. ? Congress has given the Energy Department authority to distribute billions of dollars in public funds to help stimulate the economy and seed a new generation of clean energy firms. A joint investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity has found that Westly is just one of several political allies of the president who have ties to companies receiving chunks of that money through loans, grants, or loan guarantees." The White House is denying allegations of favoritism. Read more in the joint ABC News-Center for Public Integrity Report: http://abcn.ws/eWAHt3
FIRST GOP DEBATE PUSHED BACK. What was originally billed at the first GOP presidential primary debate of the campaign season has been pushed back more than four months from early May to mid-September. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and its partners NBC News and POLITICO announced today that the Reagan Centennial GOP Presidential Primary Candidates Debate will now be held Sept. 14, 2011. The Foundation said that the later date would allow "enough time for the full slate of candidates to participate" with the Republican primary off to a slow start so far. "Although there will be a long and impressive list of Republican candidates who eventually take the field, too few have made the commitment thus far for a debate to be worthwhile in early May," John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said in a statement.
NOTED: A spokesman for the South Carolina Republican Party tells The Note that the May 5 FOX News S.C. GOP debate scheduled for the Peace Center in Greenville, S.C. will still take place as planned.
NO PRESSURE: OBAMA ON TIM KAINE'S SENATE DECISION. Not exactly subtle. President Obama weighed in last night on what appears to be the growing likelihood that Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine will run for Senate in Virginia. "I say all this because there have been some rumors floating around that he might plunge back into electoral politics," Obama said at a fundraiser in New York last night. "If he does," Obama continued, "I want even people up here to be paying attention and to be rooting for him."
ARLINGTON GRAVE MIX-UPS 'FAR WORSE' THAN ARMY ACKNOWLEGDED. "Last summer, an Army inspector general's investigation confirmed that the Army had effectively lost control of [Arlington National Cemetary], the national resting place of John F. Kennedy, Audie Murphy and 330,000 others who faithfully served their country. The Army probe played down reports of misplaced or lost remains, but the revelations prompted congressional hearings and howls of disgust from veterans' organizations. In an unusual departure from the Army's normal reflexes, Army Secretary John McHugh pushed out the superintendent of Arlington and his deputy and installed a new boss to make things right on its hallowed site," Time Magazine's Mark Benjamin reports. "But it appears likely that the problems at Arlington are far worse than the Army has acknowledged, and the new chief, Kathryn Condon, admits the service may never be able to identify all the missing remains on the immaculate 624-acre (250 hectare) site. The Army now plans to make only educated guesses about the identity of remains rather than digging in the dirt to be sure. That means that the true location of some remains may be a mystery forever." http://ti.me/eJJ8BO
WHO'S TWEETING?
@RumsfeldOffice: Apparently "unilateralism"=40 nation coalition v. Iraq & "multilateralism"=15 nations v. Libya. I was no math major but this doesn't add up.
@SusanPage: New Gallup Poll finds Obama's ratings as strong leader declines to new low; is multilateral approach to Libya a factor?http://bit.ly/eePprU
@JimMerrillNH: RNC Chair Priebus on WMUR last night talking about importance of#NH #FITN primary http://politicalscoop.wmur.com/video-2
@brianjameswalsh: AP asks McCaskill about her '04 attack ads against Holden and notes she "dodged the question" http://tinyurl.com/4j2768e #MOSen#NRSC
@shearm: Given what's going on around the world, what if Obama campaigned for reelection as the foreign policy president? http://nyti.ms/ejUXp7
POLITICAL RADAR:
* Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address at the National Republican Congressional Committee fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C.
* Newt Gingrich will spend the day in Rockingham County, New Hampshire doing media interviews and holding private meetings with Republican activists. In the evening he will speak at Salem University in Salem, Massachusetts.
* Rick Santorum will be a guest on the Curtis Sliwa Show on AM 970 The Apple in New York City as well as a guest (by phone) on the Steve Malzberg Show on WOR NewsTalk Radio 710 AM in New York City. Listen live at http://www.wor710.com/pages/7049861.php.
* The National Cannabis Industry Association, the first national organization dedicated to advancing the interests of cannabis-related businesses, will discuss the federal legislative needs of the industry at the National Press Club at 10 AM in Washington, D.C.
The Note Futures Calendar: http://abcn.ws/ZI9gV
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* For breaking political news and analysis check out The Note blog: http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/ and ABCNews.com/Politics: http://abcnews.com/politics
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