Even though Congressional leaders in the House have floated the idea of passing a one-week funding bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected the idea Wednesday. Republicans are looking for $40 billion in budget cuts while Democrats are only willing to consider $33 billion in cuts. Democrats also argue that the cuts Republicans are demanding are ideologically driven, pointing to cuts to organizations such as Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio.

If the government does shut down, about 800,000 federal government employees can expect to be furloughed. The shutdown would also stop paychecks to military members, though Sens. Robert P. Casey (D-Pa) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) are the lead sponsors of a bill that would ensure soldiers continue to be paid through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Despite all of the potential negative consequences of a government shutdown and the fact that a 1995 shutdown actually cost $1.25 billion, the Tea Party faction has been practically screaming for a shutdown of what they consider a bloated bureaucracy.

With that in mind, here is a rundown on Pennsylvania’s Congressional Delegation stands on a possible shutdown. It is difficult to find any overt support for a government shutdown, though Rep. Lou Barletta is on record saying that his constituents may support a shutdown if that’s what it takes to rein in spending. One common theme is that Republicans (and even one Democrat) blame the Democratic-controlled Senate for not passing a budget last year. In December, Talking Points Memo noted that nine Senate Republicans walked away from their support of an omnibus spending bill that had been negotiated for months.

Senator Robert Casey (D): In addition to his sponsorship of the military pay bill, Casey joined 15 other moderate Democrats in signing a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to avoid a shutdown. The letter calls a shutdown “irresponsible” and notes it would distract from a focus on creating jobs and reducing the debt. It also accuses Republicans of using the possible shutdown to make a political point.

Senator Pat Toomey (R): Toomey told the Allentown Morning Call that a government shutdown is “not okay” and no way to run a government. However, he also blamed the last Congress, of which he was not a part, for its failure to pass a budget on time. Toomey made similar statements in February when Congress was considering a short-term continuing resolution.

Robert Brady (D PA-01): We could not find a definitive statement on the looming shutdown from Brady. He did vote for the latest stop-gap measure that funds the government through April 8. He also supports measures that would devote any unused portion of a member’s Representational Allowance to reducing the deficit.

Chaka Fattah (D PA-02): Fattah posted a link on Facebook and Twitter linking to a poll that shows most Americans don’t want to see a government shutdown. He also wrote a post for the Huffington Post detailing his plan to eliminate the $14.3 trillion national debt in 10 years. He called for a one percent tax on the $445 in transactions that go through the Federal Reserve.

Mike Kelly (R PA-03): Kelly voted in favor of HR 1225, the constitutionally questionable bill that would declare HR 1, the Republican-sponsored budget that would cut $61.5 billion, to be the final bill from Congress should the Senate fail to pass a budget. Kelly blames the Senate for not passing a budget last year. The liberal blogosphere also called Kelly on his claim that a shutdown would not disrupt Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Jason Altmire (D PA-04): The National Republican Congressional Committee attacked Altmire for his comments on Fox News March 31 that Democrats are to blame for not passing a budget on time last year. During a recent town hall meeting, Altmire praised a shift in thinking from spending to cutting, but warned against haphazard cuts.

Glenn “GT” Thompson (R PA-05): Thompson spoke on the House Floor April 5 and blamed the inaction of the Senate for failing to pass a budget and railed about running the government on continuing resolutions. “Even if we all agree a program is efficient and needed, we can’t spend money we don’t have,” he said. He has been clear that a government shutdown would be costly and unproductive. The Center Daily Times reported that 18 Tea Party members protested Thompson’s vote on the March temporary funding bill.

Jim Gerlach (R PA-06): Gerlach also voted for the temporary funding measure and blamed Senate Democrats for not passing a budget. He is not in favor of a shutdown, saying, “Job creators need certainty to start hiring again, not one more countdown to a federal government shutdown.”

Pat Meehan (R PA-07): Meehan held a town hall meeting in March where he argued that a government shutdown would not be beneficial when a resident challenged opponents of the Affordable Care Act to do so. Still, Meehan is in favor of the Republicans’ 2012 spending plan which would cut $6.2 trillion over 10 years but has been largely panned by the left for its cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. He has also released a statement defending his vote to defund NPR.

Michael Fitzpatrick (R PA-08): Fitzpatrick also blamed Senate Democrats for not passing a budget. “The American people and job creators should no longer be held hostage to the Senate’s inaction on the federal budget,” he wrote in a press release. His press release on the Republican budget proposal was less committal than Meehan, urging his constituents to get familiar with the plan and “and be active participants in this national discussion.”

Bill Shuster (R PA-09): A spokesperson for Shuster told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat that the Congressman hopes to avoid a shutdown. He also posted a video talking about the dangers of increasing federal government spending.

Tom Marino (R PA-10): Marino told the Sunbury Daily Item that Republicans do not want to shut down the government and called on the Senate to pass HR 1. He also posted a message on his Facebook page supporting the proposal to pay soldiers in the event of a shutdown.

Lou Barletta (R PA-11): On March 28, Barletta announced that he would not support any more stop-gap spending measures. “Stringing together short-term continuing resolutions only extends the uncertainty among local and national job creators, and that will slow our economic recovery at home,” he wrote in the press release. He also told the Morning Call that he thinks his constituents want to see the federal government reduce spending and might support a shutdown if that’s what it takes.

Mark Critz (D PA-12): Critz called on Congress to end “the partisan bickering and finalize a responsible budget.” However, if the government would shut down, he is co-sponsoring the House bill that would deny a paycheck to members of Congress. Critz also railed against the Republicans’ spending plan, saying it hurts senior citizens while keeping in place tax cuts for the wealthy and oil company subsidies.

Allyson Schwartz (D PA-13): Schwartz agrees that the government should be making cuts in spending, but has called the proposed Republican spending cuts, “reckless.” She also says that the Republicans’ 2012 budget would not reduce costs, just shift costs to senior citizens.

Mike Doyle (D PA-14): Doyle condemned passage of HR 1, calling it destructive and counterproductive. “Frankly, it’s exactly what I’d expect to see when people who hate government are put in charge of it,” Congressman Doyle wrote in his press release. “They say government is useless and inefficient, and if they get their way, it soon will be.” He also posted a message on Twitter saying that the 2012 Republican budget proposal would “destroy Medicare as we know it.”

Charlie Dent (R PA-15): In his announcement that he voted for the last stop-gap spending measure, Dent said, “To avoid the extremely disruptive impact a shutdown would have on our economy, it was absolutely necessary the House passed an additional short-term Continuing Resolution.” Dent also told the Morning Call that he is worried about a shutdown, particularly if military paychecks are not issued. Dent called the 2012 Republican budget proposal “a serious and sobering document” and said that the Medicare and Medicaid proposals deserve thoughtful review.

Joe Pitts (R PA-16): Pitts voted against the bill in March to fund the government through April 8. He also told The Hill newspaper in March that “more and more” social conservatives are considering not voting for legislation that would defund Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act. On April 1, Pitts wrote about the pressing need to cut spending.

Tim Holden (D PA-17): We could not find any definitive statements from Holden, but he did vote in favor of the latest stop-gap spending measure.

Tim Murphy (R PA-18): Murphy also explicitly blames the Senate Democrats for their failure to pass a budget, but did vote for the latest stop gap measure. In his statement he said, “The time for stalling and half-measures and one-week spending bills has long since passed. The longer we postpone the difficult decisions that have to be made, the worse off we become.” He did, however, join in urging the Senate to continue issuing paychecks to military personnel if the government does shut down.

Todd Platts (R PA-19): Platts told the Gettysburg Times “Our intent is to keep government open.” However, he also blames Senate Democrats for failing to pass a budget. He also sent out a press release in early March discussing the problem of duplicated efforts in the federal budget, noting that eliminating such duplication could save $100 billion.

The National Republican Congressional Committee unveiled the three new spots Monday morning. Two target Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) and Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11), vulnerable incumbents who have already been the subject of NRCC TV spots. But the ad against Carney marks the first time the national party has gone after the northeast Pennsylvania Democrat on TV this cycle.

See all three ads below.

Kanjorski’s campaign tries to frame the 30-second spot as a response to Barletta by pulling a screen shot from Barletta’s latest ad—but it’s hard to deny that Kanjorski, armed with a bigger war chest, has set the advertising tone in the race between the two bitter rivals. The new ad continues that, rehashing statistics about the unemployment rate in the northeast Pennsylvania city and budget problems that have afflicted it.

“You gonna give him a promotion and a pay raise?” the ad asks.

See the ad below.

The National Association for Realtors’ political action committee spent almost $530,000 on the ad buy, according to campaign finance data. It comes as both parties are heavily investing in the northeast Pennsylvania district, with Republican Lou Barletta mounting his third challenge against Kanjorski in eight years.

Video of any TV spots were not available on the group’s Web site Friday morning. Kanjorski has a significant hand in national housing policy as chair of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises.

The race is currently No. 2 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s first two TV ads, obtained by pa2010.com ahead of their formal release Monday afternoon, target Republicans Mike Kelly and Lou Barletta. Kelly is running against freshman Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3), while Barletta is challenging longtime incumbent Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) for the third time in eight years.

The 30-second spot hitting Kelly continues the Democratic strategy of labeling the Butler car dealer a “millionaire” who looks out for other millionaires. The ad against Barletta criticizes his governance as the mayor of Hazleton.

See both ads below. They will be fact-checked later as part of pa2010.com‘s AD WATCH series.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is up with two new TV ads targeting Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) and Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11). The 30-second spots follow ads the GOP has already run against the two well-funded incumbents.

The ad against Dahlkemper fires back at a TV ad her campaign ran that was called “misleading” by FactCheck.org. The ad against Kanjorski takes broader swipes at his votes supporting Democratic policies.

Kanjorski’s race against Lou Barletta and Dahlkemper’s contest against Mike Kelly are rated No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

See both ads below. They will be fact-checked later as part of pa2010.com‘s AD WATCH series.

A poll by the newspaper found Barletta leading Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) by 11 points, 43 percent to 32 percent. Marino holds a smaller four-point edge against Congressman Chris Carney (D-10), 40 percent to 36 percent.

Both surveys were taken from relatively small sample sizes, yielding large margins of error. But they reflect a generally positive environment for Republicans in the region, especially in the conservative-leaning 10th District. Republicans hope Carney and Kanjorski will prove two of their most vulnerable targets.

A quarter of likely voters in both districts are undecided, according to the poll. The margin of error was about 6.5 percent in both polls.

In Barletta’s latest TV ad, which began airing late last week, he sits at a diner counter and says Congressman Paul Kanjorski’s (D-11) “negative campaign doesn’t surprise me, or them.”

“He’s been in Washington so long,” Barletta says, “and become so out of touch that he has lot sight of the reality that we face here every day.”

Facing a stiff challenge from the same man he’s dispatched twice already, Kanjorski’s TV campaign has mostly focused on negative messaging of Barletta. The northeast Pennsylvania race is currently No. 2 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

See the latest ad below.

Barletta quickly denounced the project as dangerous and disruptive to the neighborhood when Kanjorski proposed it, even as Kanjorski promised it would bring 1,000 jobs to a northeast Pennsylvania district struggling economically like any other. The new 30-second spot, at least Kanjorski’s third of the campaign, recaps the disagreement, asking “who do you want standing up for you in Congress?”

The race is currently No. 2 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

See the ads below. They will be fact-checked later as part of pa2010.com‘s AD WATCH series.

“And with so much still left to be done, and too many families struggling to get by, we need to keep America moving forward—which means I need you to support Manan Trivedi for Congress,” Obama wrote about the 6th District candidate to his Keystone State supporters.

Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) also got the nod, also with the same language. The Kanjorski campaign seemed to greet the endorsement, well, quietly. “The congressman welcomes the endorsement of anyone who shares the same values and principles,” Kanjorski’s spokesman told The Times Leader. The campaign didn’t publicize the endorsement, as friend-of-the-site Alex Isenstadt noted on Politico.

Republican Lou Barletta’s campaign made sure to note the quiet reception, contrasting it with 2008, when Obama cut an ad for Kanjorski—and when the wave of Democrats he helped turn out seemed to pull the longtime incumbent over the finish line in a tough race. The campaign claimed it was just Obama’s way of saying thanks, after Kanjorski was effectively the deciding vote in the House on health care reform.

“It’s political payback for Kanjorski’s deciding vote to pass the health care takeover earlier this year,” Barletta wrote in a fundraising e-mail to supporters. “But even the President can’t save Kanjorski this year. We, the people, deserve better, and pooling our resources can fight the establishment liberal special interests in Kanjo’s pocket.”

Meanwhile, Democrats have a new attack line against Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey: they’re trying to tie him to the Chan brothers, one of whom was a former Enron director and had to settle a $168-million lawsuit against the company.

Greg Sargent at The Plum Line reported on this new tack before it hit the ground. Basically, Toomey worked for a financial firm in Hong Kong in 1991, and the company was owned by the Chan brothers. Democrats say Ronnie Chan is a shady character, and want to tie his lack of enthusiasm for human rights and democracy to the former congressman.

“As the old quote goes ‘you’re only as good as the company you keep,’” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Deirdre Murphy said in a statement. “In Pat Toomey’s case, this means having as a former boss a controversial Hong Kong billionaire financier, who disdains the American political system and was on the board of Enron when the company was accused of defrauding shareholders.  With associates like this, Toomey has a lot of explaining to do to Pennsylvania voters.”

Toomey’s campaign scoffed at the display of Democrats reaching back 20 years to try and make a point. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that Toomey did anything for the company other than research on capital in Asian countries.

“The Democrats must be getting pretty desperate to dig up what Pat did twenty years ago,” Toomey campaign manager Mark Harris told The Plum Line. “What voters in Pennsylvania are concerned about is [Democratic nominee] Joe Sestak’s liberal voting record in the last three years.”

And lastly, there was all kinds of news Friday in the world of Congressman Chris Carney (D-10)—and we’re not even counting the revelation that his Republican opponent Tom Marino appears to have fibbed big time about a Department of Justice letter he claims to have.

First, Carney won the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, which called him a “solid defender of the Second Amendment who will stand up for the rights of gun owners in Pennsylvania.”

Later, we got hold of a new Carney campaign radio ad, which keeps hitting Marino on this whole Louis DeNaples thing, taking a similar tack to his recent TV ad. Click here to listen to the radio ad.

And to round things out, the conservative seniors’ group 60 Plus Association has added Carney to the list of Pennsylvania Democrats its targeting in a TV campaign. Having already gone after Kathy Dahlkemper and Paul Kanjorski on the issue of health care, the group now has a very similar ad airing against Carney.

See the ad below. All three are basically identical in their content, so we’ll fact-check them as a unit soon.

Stay tuned.