Boehner makes budget case at religious convention (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – House Speaker John Boehner is making his case to religious broadcasters Sunday for $4 billion in "reasonable spending cuts" that are part of the Republican plan to prevent a shutdown of the federal government.

Lawmakers must approve a new spending plan before the current budget expires Friday. Both Republicans and Democrats have sought to blame each other about the prospects of the first government shutdown since 1996.

"Americans want the government to stay open, and they want it to spend less money," Boehner said in prepared remarks released before the National Religious Broadcasters convention. "We don't need to shut down the government to accomplish that."

Boehner said Republicans are advancing the plan to keep the government running through March 18 because the Democratic-controlled Senate opposes a House proposal to slash $61 billion in spending through the end of September. President Barack Obama has also threatened to veto that proposal.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said the alternate plan is a "a shorter-term bill that will also keep the government running while including reasonable spending cuts at the same time."

House Republicans also want to target entitlement programs, like Medicaid and Medicare, the speaker said.

"To not address entitlement programs, as is the case with the budget the president has put forward, would be an economical and moral failure," Boehner said. "By acting now, we can fulfill the mission of health and retirement security for all Americans without making changes for those in or near retirement."

Democrats also want a short-term extension, but want to maintain current spending levels so the parties can negotiate over how deep cuts need to be.

Obama, in his weekly radio address Saturday, urged lawmakers to quickly find a resolution to the dispute "so we can accelerate, not impede, economic growth."