Reid expressed pessimism that a shutdown could be avoided.

"The numbers are basically there, but I am not nearly as optimistic - and that's an understatement - as I was 11 hours ago," Reid said. "The numbers are extremely close, and our differences are no longer over how much savings we get on government spending. The only thing holding up an agreement is ideology. I'm sorry to say that my friend, the speaker, and the Republican leadership have drawn a line in the sand not dealing with the deficit we know we have to deal with, not with the numbers that fund the government for the rest of this fiscal year. The issue is ideology, not numbers."
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Reid said his staff worked through the night with negotiators for Boehner and the administration following a nearly two-hour meeting at the White House Wednesday night. He said the talks are at an impasse over restrictions on abortion funding and changes to environmental regulations, which House Republicans want to be part of any budget deal.

"It's not realistic to shut down the government on a debate dealing with abortion," Reid said. "It's not fair to the American people. We haven't solved the issue in 40 years. We're not going to solve it in the next 38 hours. We should not be distracted by ideology. This is a bill that funds the government."

Reid added: "If this government shuts down, and it looks like it's heading in that direction, it's going to be based on my friends in the House of Representatives focusing on ideological matters that have nothing to do with funding this government. That's a sad day, I think."