Reid says government shutdown is likely

No agreement reached to avoid shutdownSTORY HIGHLIGHTSCongressional staffers have started to receive furlough noticesSenate Majority Leader Reid says he's pessimistic about the prospects for a budget dealPresident Obama is set to meet with Reid and Boehner again at the White HouseWithout an agreement, the federal government will shut down after Friday Washington (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated Thursday that there is likely to be a government shutdown at the end of the week -- an outcome the Nevada Democrat blamed wholly on his Republican colleagues.

"It looks like it's headed in that direction," Reid said on the Senate floor when discussing the possibility of a shutdown. "The numbers are basically there, but I am not as nearly as optimistic -- and that's an understatement -- as I was" after a meeting Wednesday night with President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at the White House.

Boehner disagreed with Reid's assessment of the numbers, declaring that there is "no agreement on numbers and no agreement on the underlying policies."

Reid said later that he was starting to question whether Boehner really wanted a deal.

If there is no deal by midnight Friday, when the current spending authorization measure expires, parts of the government will close down.

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