Christie: 'Responsible' GOP Leaders Would Work Out Spending Bill

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday "responsible Republican leaders" would not allow the government to shut down.

"That, by definition, is a failure. You’ve gotta work it out," Christie, a Republican, said in a segment set to air Sunday on "CBS This Morning," Politico reported.
 
"I think it's always irresponsible if you’re running the government to be advocating for shutting it down," Christie said.

Congress must vote on a federal government spending plan by Tuesday or the U.S. government will shut down.

The disagreement over a funding bill has focused on President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, which begins enrollment Oct. 1. House Republicans pushed through a provision in the temporary spending plan to defund Obamacare.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he'd strip the defunding language before bringing the continuing resolution to a vote in the Senate, producing clean legislation amenable to the Democratic majority — which would then be sent back to the House for final passage, just days before the deadline, Politico reported.

But House Republican leaders said they'll reject the temporary spending plan the Senate is expected to pass to keep the government operating through Nov. 15.

Christie noted in the interview he doesn't hear "responsible Republican leaders advocating for a shutdown of the government" — a swipe at the tea party conservative wing of the GOP.

And Christie has publicly clashed with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Yet Christie said he thinks lawmakers will come to an agreement to avoid a shutdown.

"I'm confident they will," Christie said. "Because I don't think anybody wants to go down that road."

Editor's Note: Should ObamaCare Be Defunded? Vote in Urgent National Poll