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WASHINGTON, D.C. (WHNT) – Bud Cramer represented north Alabama in Congress for 18 years, from 1991 to 2009.

Cramer was in Congress during the government shutdown in the 1990s.  He compared that one to the looming shutdown this week.

“It keeps us anxious, it keeps the economy anxious,” Cramer said.  “The Senate will likely react to the House version that was passed yesterday, but it’s set up to fail because it has the Affordable Care Act issues in it.”

Cramer said the mood is much different this time around.

“It seems like the lines are drawn deeper in the dirt this time,” Cramer said. It seems like there’s a lot of folks who want to nix a lot of legislative issues in this funding of the bill.”

“The Senate is struggling mightily to try to give this a clean shot of some temporary stayover,” he added. “I’m hoping reason reasserts itself, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be today.”