CNN news 2011-10-03
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: A big thank you going all the way to South Korea for getting today`s` show going today. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia, I`m Carl Azuz. Let`s get to the headlines.
First up, we`re looking at the possibility of a U.S. government shutdown again. October 1st, which is just a few days away, is the start of the government`s fiscal or financial year. But unless Congress takes action this week, there won`t be any money for some government programs.
If that happens -- and it`s just an if -- shutdown. Candy Crowley looks at which government agency is at the center of this new round of debates.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): For the third time this year, a congressional staredown threatens a government shutdown.
CROWLEY: Let me start with you, Senator Warner, and ask you if there is a point at which you think this is embarrassing.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D) VA.: Yes. It is embarrassing.
CROWLEY: Are we there?
WARNER: Can we be -- can we, once again, inflict on the country and the American people the spectacle of a near-government shutdown? I sure as heck hope not.
CROWLEY (voice-over): The U.S. government runs out of money at the end of this week unless a temporary spending bill is passed on Capitol Hill.
Inside the House version is money to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, which assists disaster victims, tornadoes in Joplin, hurricanes in the Northeast. The remarkable thing is that basically Congress can`t agree on something everyone is for: funding FEMA.
The crux of the matter is how and when to decide how to pay for it. Senate Democrats have rejected the House version, saying Republicans are proposing to pay for increased FEMA funds with cutbacks in programs that create jobs.
Nobody`s budging, ergo stalemate, a looming shutdown and the politics that ensue.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R) TENN.: I`ll give the Senate Democratic leader most of the credit. He manufactured a crisis all week about disaster when there`s no crisis. Everybody knows we`re going to pay for every single penny of disaster aid that the president declares and that FEMA certifies.
WARNER: One point about who to blame or not to blame on this current, hopefully non-shutdown, is that there is a group -- and I do believe it is mostly centered in the House in terms of some of these Tea Party Republicans who say, on every issue, we`re going to make this a make-or- break.
CROWLEY (voice-over): Pointing fingers about an impending shutdown can be good politics. But an actual shutdown is likely to hurt any politician in a 50-mile radius of Washington. Odds are good they`ll figure this out. They have till Friday -- Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
AZUZ: So would you notice a government shutdown? Maybe, maybe not. As many as 800,000 government workers could be sent home. So if your mom or dad is one, they might be home without pay.
AZUZ (voice-over): Applications for things issued by the government, like IRS tax refunds, passports, visas, those could be delayed, and national parks could be closed, as well as the National Zoo, although zoo animals would still get fed.
The list of things that would stay open is longer. We`d still get our mail, criminals would still be chase and prosecuted; anything to do with public safety keeps on running.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? The region known as Silicon Valley is located is Texas.
Nope, not true. Silicon Valley is in California. It`s home to a lot of technology companies.
AZUZ: Couple events in Silicon Valley yesterday. Might have made it look like the reason was in Washington, D.C. Political leaders held town halls at two major tech companies.
AZUZ (voice-over): President Obama was at the headquarters of LinkedIn, a professional networking website. He took questions from the audience and tried to raise support for his jobs plan. He did a similar meeting at Facebook`s offices back in April
And that`s where these three Republican leaders were yesterday. Representatives Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan headed out to Silicon Valley after this event in Washington. They were set to talk to part of the tech world about their ideas on innovation and job growth.
AZUZ: The country of Greece is facing its own financial struggles, and it needs help -- bailouts from groups like the European Union and the International Monetary Fund -- if Greece wants to avoid going broke.
But those bailouts come with rules. Greece would have to find ways to cut its own spending.
And some of the plans are not going over well with Greek citizens. Protests, like the one you see here have been coming (ph) for months. Greece has already raised taxes, reduced pensions, had layoffs -- there`s a vote this week on a new property tax. Some observers think the anger over these new rules could lead to a major shakeup in the Greek government. And that uncertainty might make the situation even worse.