President Obama:

If the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, simply let the bill get on the floor for an up or down vote […] the shutdown would end today. The only thing that is keeping the government shut down, the only thing preventing people going back to work, and basic research starting back up, and farmers and small businesses getting their loans, the only thing that’s preventing all of that from happening right now, today, in the next five minutes, is that Speaker John Boehner won’t even let the bill get a yes or no vote.

You don’t get to demand some ransom in exchange for keeping the government running, you don’t get to demand ransom in exchange for keeping the economy running. You don’t get to demand ransom for doing your most basic job.