Washington (CNN) -- The slogging efforts to resolve the federal government's budget crisis ground to a halt Thursday as shots rang out around the Capitol, forcing legislators and their staffs to call off any business and shelter in place. Shots were first reported around 2 p.m. causing local buildings to go on lock down. It also caused debate on the House and Senate floors to cease. The lock down was lifted around 3 p.m.
Two chambers of Congress failed to agree on a budget plan to send to President Barack Obama.
Obama directly challenged House Speaker John Boehner to end the shutdown by bringing up a spending plan already approved by the Democratic-led Senate. Instead he has insisted that the Senate reconcile its plan with that of the Republican-led House, which includes provisions targeting the president's signature health care reform, the Affordable Care Act.
The president gave his latest pitch one day after these two men, as well as other Congressional leaders, met face-to-face for the first time since the budget impasse put 800,000 workers at risk of furloughs and caused increasing concerns over direct and collateral economic harm.
WASHINGTON — In their first meeting since a budget impasse shuttered many federal operations, President Obama told Republican leaders on Wednesday that he would negotiate with them only after they agreed to the funding needed to reopen the government and also to an essential increase in the nation’s debt limit, without add-ons.
Accordingly, never in American history has budget translated to 'raise the debt ceiling'. In simple terms, rather than making a budget that works, raising the debt ceiling allows the continuance of poor leadership and the lack of fiscal responsibility to the American people.
What America needs is leadership with responsibility and not the current events of deception, scandals and the next best media frenzy fiasco.
