By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Sixth District Representative Ben Chandler says if the government is forced to shut down after tomorrow night, it'll be due to the intransigence and inflexibility of freshmen Republican lawmakers, many of whom have Tea Party leanings. In an exclusive interview Thursday morning with WUKY, the Democrat from Versailles said that faction has shown no sign of give and take in budget negotiations.
"You've got an influx of new people who seem to not be interested in finding the common ground that we need to find to keep the country going."
Chandler says securing an agreement to cut 33 billion dollars should be viewed as a significant victory.
"They've already gotten an agreement of 33 billion dollars in cuts. In fact, I think it's historic in nature, and that doesn't seem to be enough. I think at some point people need to learn to declare victory and go on and compromise and find the balance that we need to take into consideration everybody's concerns."
Republicans and Democrats in both chambers need to agree on a budget by Friday night at midnight in order to avoid a government shutdown. Both President Obama and Senate Democrats dismiss the idea of another continuing resolution, as a "non-starter".