Politics / budget crisis Hoyer on Budget Deal: '70% of the Way' There No deal yet, but 'very close' to compromise By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Apr 8, 2011 7:23 AM CDT Updated Apr 8, 2011 8:24 AM CDT Copied House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., right, accompanied by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) As the clock ticks down, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer says budget negotiators are "very close" to a deal. "I think we've come 70% of the way in terms of dollars," Hoyer tells Today. "That's a long way to go in trying to reach compromise." Though he's "embarrassed" at how close the government is to shutting down, he adds, "you can't negotiate on the basis that one side gives 100% and the other side gives zero." (More budget crisis stories.) Report an error