Senator says another government shut down is unlikely

Senator Charles Grassley says there’s no way Republicans will repeat the “government shut-down” fiasco of 1995. The present federal budgeting year-ends Saturday, but Congress hasn’t approved spending plans for the next fiscal year which begins October 1st. In 1995, a similar impasse led to a shutdown of the federal government as Republican lawmakers and President Clinton feuded. Grassley says Congress “felt sorry” for bureaucrats, and ended up paying ’em for when they were temporarily laid-off. Grassley says it all added up to higher costs — when the goal of the shutdown was to save money.Grassley admits a “shut-down” of the federal bureaucracy could happen if President Clinton and Republicans fail to agree on a bill, which would temporarily finance government services until final plans are laid after the election.