Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) (Photo from Creative Commons).

Amid rumors and speculation of the first federal government shutdown in 16 years come March 4, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrambling to come out on top if--and, perhaps when--the government runs out of money.

Such a shutdown would prevent paychecks from flowing to any federal employee and welfare and other aid from reaching states, counties and regular citizens.

Concerns heightened Friday about such a possibility when a high-ranking aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said during a meeting of Democrats that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to chiefs of staff in attendance.

One aide in attendance said the tone of the meeting quickly turned to the logistics of what this shutdown would look like for government services.

"It was genuine," the aide told POLITICO anonymously, refuting any ideas that Pelosi's aide was trying to play a political game.

The House of Representatives approved $61 billion in budget cuts at 4:40 a.m. EST Saturday, moving to the Senate a spending measure for March 5 through September 30. But both of houses of Congress are closed next week (as they normally are for the President's Day holiday). That's left Republicans and Democrats to pass the blame around about who is behind the lack of money.

"This is just another example of Washington Democrats rooting for a government shutdown, hoping to take partisan advantage," Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) said after Pelosi's aide spoke at the Democratic meeting. "Republicans, on the other hand, are listening to the American people, who want us to cut spending--not shut the government down."

In Los Angeles, the spending cuts would take away tens of millions of dollars from port and transit projects while also forcing the closure of more than 20 employment training centers.  

Some Democratic lawmakers, however, said it was the GOP causing the downward spiral, specifically Boehner.

"That kind of talk, absent negotiations, really risks a shutdown of the government, which is in no one's interest," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) told Bloomberg television in an interview airing this weekend about Boehner's recent demands for more budget cuts. "I hope he'll, instead of issuing that kind of threat, negotiate. That's what we do to resolve problems."

Boehner denied any talk amongst Republicans of intentionally shutting down the government this week on Fox News, though several Republican lawmakers have publicly said otherwise.

Democrats seem to be more concerned about the next steps President Obama will take. A note sent by an aide to Washington Monthly's Steve Benen Friday said it's Obama's job to take charge.

I'm of a firm belief the government will shut down after March 4th because the House and Senate won't be able to come to a conclusion on a CR [continuing resolution]. So it isn't a question of "if" in my mind, it is a question of "how long."

It's becoming clearer and clearer everyday that Republicans in the House have no connection to reality and are willing to burn it all down. Staff have sat dumbfounded over the last few days watching the floor, which no media is reporting on, to see how disconnected Republicans are from basic math. Their CR would do practically nothing to address the debt, but it will stunt any economic recovery (which they will blame on Obama).

What I don't hear people talking about is that so many members of the House are millionaires and don't seem to care how this will affect people. I don't know how they can look their staffs in the eye, who will be royally screwed by this.

The wild card is President Obama. As we discussed last year, he has yet to prove he has a spine. I fear he will cave and give in on most if not all of the Republican demands. In that case our last defense would be a small set of Dem Senators who have yet to lose their minds. But we will see.

As the deadline to extend or change the federal budget quickly approaches, the partisan finger pointing continues. Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post said the Republicans are more than likely to come out on the losing end of the battle, especially because of the increased presence of the Tea Party.

"First, it's clear that many of them want one, whatever their leaders say," Fineman wrote. "Some of them will celebrate it on the floor of the House if it happens. They won't be able to help themselves.

"The 80 or so first-year Tea Party types in the House are as eager as college protesters taking over the Ad Building a generation ago. They want to shut the place down as an act of protest against what they regard -- not entirely without reason -- as a runaway, run-amok government."

Reach Executive Producer David McAlpine here.

Follow him on Twitter: @DavidMcAlpine

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