Reid calls on Republicans to completely rule out shutting down the government

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) Sunday to completely rule out shutting down the government over disagreements on spending.

Republicans have stressed that they do not want to shut down the government. “Our goal here is to reduce spending. Our goal is not to shut down the government,” Boehner said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.

But Democrats have continued to hammer away at the issue Sunday, continuing to raise the possibility of a shut down.

“Speaker Boehner said his goal is to not shut down the government,” Reid said in a statement Sunday. “If he is serious about that, he should completely take a shutdown off the table and tell other Republicans to stop with the threats.”

Reid said a government shut down would have wide-ranging effects on the American people.

“Families across the country are struggling and they are worried about their livelihoods,” he said. “They deserve better than threats of a government shutdown that would have devastating consequences at a time our country and their families could least afford them.”

"Sen. Reid and other Washington Democrats seem to be rooting for a government shutdown," said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel. "Boehner has been clear - our goal is to end their spending spree, not to shut down the government."

House Republicans unveiled legislation to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year Friday that would cut $100 billion in spending when compared to President Obama’s 2011 budget request. The current legislation funding the government expires in March and lawmakers must come to a spending agreement by then.

This post was updated at 6:45 p.m.