The measure currently under deliberation -- which would keep Washington running through November 18 -- includes critical new disaster funding assistance for states hit hard by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and a series of recent wildfires and tornadoes.  But Republicans want less disaster aid than their Democratic counterparts, and want to pay for it partly by cutting funding for programs designed to spur clean energy innovation.  The House passed a "common sense measure," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters during the Senate vote. "It's time for the Senate to move."  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced his intention to push for a new vote Monday on a compromise package incorporating the GOP's lower overall disaster relief spending levels while eliminating any cuts to clean energy programs.  Congressmen and senators need to "cool off for a little bit," Reid said Friday. "There's a compromise here."  "More reasonable heads will prevail," he predicted.  This is the third time the government has been threatened with a shutdown this year alone. Legislators nearly forced Washington to start closing its doors in mid-April and again during the debt ceiling imbroglio in August.  Tea party-backed legislators have used a series of statutory deadlines -- typically dealt with through non-controversial funding extensions -- to push an ideological agenda of spending reductions at sharp odds with priorities in the Obama administration and elsewhere.  The latest standoff in Washington, however, could have far-reaching negative consequences beyond the political arena. Among other things, the new shutdown threat could further damage an already sputtering economy. Global trading partners are increasingly confused by a "political system that looks manifestly broken," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner warned Thursday.
The Democratic-controlled Senate rejected a House GOP temporary spending bill Friday, inching the federal government closer to yet another potential shutdown and risking the loss of sorely needed