Boehner: No cuts, no government funding

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday any resolution for temporary funding of federal government operations must include some spending cuts.

The current spending resolution expires March 4. Boehner said he would not allow any resolution to fund the government at the current level to reach the floor, The Washington Post reported.

Democrats, who retain a majority in the Senate, have suggested a temporary extension that would allow the government to keep running while the two political parties negotiate.

After the 1994 election shifted control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans for the first time since 1960, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich forced a government shutdown. Boehner accused Democrats of wanting a shutdown this year so they can exploit it to their political advantage, as they accuse former President Bill Clinton of doing -- something Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., denies.

"We're terribly disappointed Speaker Boehner can't control the votes in his caucus to prevent a shutdown of government, and now he's resorting to threats to do just that, without any negotiations," Reid told reporters.