With the 2013 budget deal set to expire on Oct. 1, U.S. Senator Patty Murray will be heading back to the negotiating table when the session reconvenes on September 8.

“The reason that the government shut down last time is Sen. Ted Cruz hijacked the budget and said that he would not let the budget out unless we voted to repeal Obamacare,” she said when asked if she foresees Congress being able to pass a new budget plan by the prior’s expiration date. “My belief is that we should never subject our budget or the government of this country to any hostage, no matter what.”

Murray also identified Planned Parenthood as a potential hot button issue for the Republicans, including Sen. Cruz, but said she and Sen. Mitch McConnell will not let that happen.

Sequestration still plays a factor in the negotiations, and Murray said she is anticipating potential one- or two-month budget extensions.

The senior senator from Washington, Murray led the charge on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 along with Congressman Paul Ryan. The deal set overall discretionary spending for the current fiscal year at $1.012 trillion—about halfway between the Senate budget level of $1.058 trillion and the House budget level of $967 billion.

At the time, she said the budget deal “…breaks through the partisanship and gridlock, and shows that Congress can function when Democrats and Republicans work together to make some compromises for the good of the country.”

While talking to reporters at the Bellevue Reporter’s headquarters on Aug. 13, Murray stressed longevity, despite the looming change in regime with the upcoming Presidential election.

“We just keep limping along with Band-Aids here and our infrastructure is really hurting because of that,” she said about transportation.

Murray decried extensions and short-term deals, saying that the planning, contracts, and necessity for an end date for transportation projects makes no sense. “You need to be able to know you can complete projects, so It is absolutely horrible way of doing policy,” she said.

Murray reiterated the same sentiment on issues like education and veterans services. However, when it comes to the federal budget, Murray said she believes the wisest course of action would be a two year budget.

When asked why she was hoping for another two year plan instead of a longer term budget plan, Murray responded that the budget needed to give and take to the dynamic nature of the country and politics.

“The budget’s not just about numbers– its about what we set for our priorities at the time. So, I think that longer than that would be very hard to do, and we may be missing a lot.”

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are scheduled to reconvene their legislative sessions on Sept. 8.