Pelosi: No Government Shutdown

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) today flatly dismissed rumors that disagreements over this year's spending bills could lead to a government shutdown.

Asked in her weekly press conference if there would be a shutdown should the parties fail to reach an agreement, she replied, "No."

She also said that she would not respond to an impasse over Iraq funding by passing another spending measure out of the House that lacked a timeline for withdrawal. She expected that when lawmakers returned in December from the Thanksgiving break they would take up appropriations bill and the energy package, not Iraq.

She had kind words for her predecessor, former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who is expected to announce his retirement today. She said he truly merited the title "Honorable" that is bestowed on all House lawmakers. She thanked him in particular for working with her to have Rosa Parks lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, the first African-American woman to do so.