Harry Reid is cracking. Every time the Dems trot out a sob story about how so and so is suffering because the evil Pubs have all the money tied up, the Pubs pass a specific resolution freeing up money for that particular issue. First it was vet benefits. Now it's kids with cancer. He's not taking it well.
DANA BASH: You all talked about children with cancer unable to go to clinical trials. The House is presumably going to pass a bill that funds at least the NIH. Given what you’ve said, will you at least pass that? And if not, aren’t you playing the same political games that Republicans are?
HARRY REID: ... What right did they have to pick and choose what part of government is going to be funded? It’s obvious what’s going on here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is Obamacare. They are obsessed. I don’t know what other word I can use. They’re obsessed with this Obamacare. It’s working now and it will continue to work and people will love it more than they do now by far. () So they have no right to pick and choose.
BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?
REID: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless.
The problem for Reid, of course, and the reason why the Dems must insist on "all or nothing", is that once you start considering individual programs, it quickly reveals the massive waste that is hidden in these massive spending bills. It's really quite entertaining to watch them squirm.
So the SHUTDOWN continues, and the longer it continues, the greater the risk that people will realize just how non-essential much of the government is. 94% of the EPA is on furlough, and life goes on, etc.