Sen. Dan Coats, R-Indiana, says he'll oppose short-term government funding measures until Congress addresses what he sees as a coming fiscal crisis created by President Obama.
But Coats' counterpart Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, says shutting down the government would threaten an improving economy.
Coats says he was elected in 2010 to focus on the country's debt and deficit problems and blames President Obama's executive overreach and failure to find bipartisan solutions for exacerbating the issue.
The Hoosier Republican says with GOP majorities in both houses, he wants what he calls "meaningful action" or he won't support any funding deals.
Donnelly says Hoosiers want Congress to help the economy – and at the very least not make it worse.
"Frankly it's embarrassing that some in Congress are willing to bring us to the brink of a government shutdown and would rather play games with our recovering economy than solve the problems and challenges in front of us," he says.
Donnelly says Congress needs to work together to keep the government open.