Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) told KTVK that Democrats shut down the government in order to raise money for their campaigns.

Said Schweikert: “If you really want to dig down into what’s really going on at base level, the rumor all around Capitol Hill, it’s that this has become a fundraising opportunity. I know this sounds one off, but the reality of it, much of the speechifying, as we call it, you see going on the floor of the House on the Democrat side has been loading up their coffers with online contributions and it’s incredibly cynical because you start to think of why would someone be motivated not to even assign a conference committee just to have a conversation?”

President Obama called Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today “and reiterated his refusal to negotiate on the fiscal impasse that has shut down the government and threatens a debt default,” Roll Call reports.

Wonk Wire: Food inspections come to a halt

“Chaplain asks God to forgive Senate’s politics.”

— USA Today, October 8, 2013

House Republicans “will bring to the floor a bill to create a bipartisan, bicameral committee to address the current fiscal impasse that has shut down much of the government and threatens a debt default,” Roll Call reports.

“A GOP leadership aide said the committee wouldn’t just handle the continuing resolution needed to fund the government. It would have broader jurisdiction similar to the 2011 Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the supercommittee, and would cover the debt limit and other fiscal issues.”

The Hill: “The move is an attempt to highlight what the GOP sees as a refusal by
Democrats to compromise in order to end the budget crisis.”

National Journal:
“The deadline to keep open the federal government was only two weeks
away, when the White House quietly floated plans for a summit between
President Obama and the four congressional leaders. The idea was to show
Obama, his sleeves rolled up, engaged as Congress lurched toward a
shutdown. But when top administration officials reached out to Capitol
Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office had a message for them:
Don’t do it. Reid’s team argued such a meeting would suggest the
Democrats were willing to negotiate when they weren’t. The White House
listened. The summit was nixed. And no serious talks have occurred
since.”

A new National Journal poll reports finds Americans “are divided on who deserves blame for the government shutdown, but one thing’s certain: A solid majority thinks it’s wrong to demand changes to Obamacare as a price for reopening the government.”

Key findings: 38% say Republicans are to blame for the stalemate, 30% say it’s President Obama, and 19% say it’s both.

“But public opinion is clearer on the House GOP’s approach: Overwhelmingly, Americans think Congress should fund the federal government and deal with health care separately; and just as strongly, Americans oppose including GOP priorities–even those with which they otherwise agree–in a bargain to raise the debt ceiling.”

Real Clear Politics: “The problem for Boehner — and, therefore, the president — is that a number of GOP lawmakers don’t believe the country will in fact default if the debt ceiling is not lifted; as a result, they insist they won’t likely be spooked into raising it.”

Said Rep. Steve King: “We need to go back and redefine ‘default.’ Default would be if you couldn’t pay the interest and couldn’t manage the principle on our national debt. And that’s not going to happen. The resources are there. The cash flow is easily there to pay the interest on our debt.”

Wonk Wire: We have no idea how the Treasury pays its bills.

“I’m not elected to govern out of fear. Leadership demands that we do the hard things. This is not easy right now. We’re operating in a very difficult time. We need to step up and solve the problem.”

— Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), quoted by the Lehigh Valley Express Times.

New York Times: “As a moderate House Republican, Dent by definition typically finds himself somewhere near the middle when the majority of his colleagues veer well to the right.”

Robert Costa: “Speaker John Boehner may be trying to finalize a plan to raise the debt limit, but House conservatives are already skeptical of his efforts. In interviews, several of them tell me they’re unlikely to support any deal that may emerge.”

Said Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ): “They may try to throw the kitchen sink at the debt limit, but I don’t think our conference will be amenable for settling for a collection of things after we’ve fought so hard. If it doesn’t have a full delay or defund of Obamacare, I know I and many others will not be able to support whatever the leadership proposes. If it’s just a repeal of the medical-device tax, or chained CPI, that won’t be enough.”