Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid smiles as he makes his way from the Old Senate Chamber after a closed session about the new START treaty on Capitol Hill in Washington December 20, 2010.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid smiles as he makes his way from the Old Senate Chamber after a closed session about the new START treaty on Capitol Hill in Washington December 20, 2010. REUTERS

The top Senator in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday said he would introduce a one-month federal budget extension to avoid a government shut down by a March 4 deadline.

Sen. Harry Reid D-NV said the bill would give Democrats and Republicans more time to negotiate a longer term proposal that will fund the rest of the fiscal year 2011 until the end of September.

Reid also criticized House Speaker John Boehner for a Republican proposal which passed on Saturday that provides $1.2 trillion in funding for the remainder of the year, but includes $61 billion in cuts.

Speaker Boehner should stop drawing lines in the sand, and come to the table to find a responsible path forward that cuts government spending while keeping our communities safe and our economy growing, Reid said in a released statement on Tuesday.

Reid said he had asked the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee to prepare a Continuing Resolution that could be brought to the Senate floor to be voted on next week.

Reid said the bill would include $41 billion in cuts that both major parties had agreed to in December.

RELATED STORIES