(Photo courtesy U.S. Senate)

Schumer, who is the chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, told ABC's Good Morning America that Speaker John Boehner is being pulled away from a compromise by Tea Party members.

"They're [the Tea Party] the people who say they don't want compromise," said Schumer. "They're the people who say they relish a shutdown."

There are three key areas of disagreement over the budget, said Schumer.

• The total amount of budget cuts. (Republicans wanted as much as $61 billion in cuts. The current number on the table is $33 billion in cuts.)
• Where the budget cuts come from.
• Ideological issues, like abortion, tacked onto the bill that really should be debated separately.

But Schumer said there is a little bit of hope. If Boehner can resist the Tea Party, they might be able to reach an agreement, added Schumer.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has a slightly different take on the matter.

Bachmann told MSNBC Wednesday that it's the Democrats who want the government shutdown, not the Tea Party.

She added, however, that the budget cuts in their current form are not enough, and that she would not vote for any number less than $61 billion.