Washington (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he's not sure a potential government shutdown at the end of the month can be avoided because of a stand-off between the House and Senate over how much to spend on disaster relief. "I heard reports that Sen. (Senate Republican Leader Mitch) McConnell said there will be no shutdown," Reid told reporters in the Capitol. "I'm not that sure. I'm not that sure because the Tea Party-driven House of Representatives has been so unreasonable in the past. I don't know why they should suddenly be reasonable." At issue is a short-term bill to fund government agencies through November 18 that the GOP-controlled House will vote on Wednesday. It allocates fewer resources to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers for disaster response than the Democratic-led Senate approved last week. Additional funds are needed because recent major floods from Hurricane Irene along the East Coast and wildfires in Texas exceeded the amount these agencies have left in their coffers to support recovery and rebuilding efforts.
@highlight
FEMA, Army Corps of Engineers would get more money from Senate
@highlight
House wants some disaster relief funding to be offset by cuts
@highlight
House to vote on Wednesday
A group of close to 70 House Democrats sent a letter to House Republican leaders urging them to bring up the Senate measure without any spending offsets for the @placeholder money in it.