Boehner: We Need to Avoid a Gov't Shutdown

House Speaker John Boehner will say in a speech Sunday night that lawmakers have a responsibility to avoid a government shutdown and tackle the thorny issue of reforming entitlement programs, ABCNews.com reports.

Boehner is to address the National Association of Broadcasters in Nashville, Tenn., and excerpts of the speech were released. The GOP leader will say:

“We have a moral responsibility to address the problems we face. That means working together to cut spending and rein in government – NOT shutting it down. The House has passed legislation – reflecting the will of the people – that would keep the government running through October while cutting spending. The leader of the United States Senate has refused to allow a vote on this legislation, so the House will pass a shorter-term bill that will also keep the government running while including reasonable spending cuts at the same time. This is very simple: Americans want the government to stay open, and they want it to spend less money. We don’t need to shut down the government to accomplish that. We just need to do what the American people are asking of us.”