Budget Battle: Reid Says My Way Or Highway As House GOP Votes Today On Stopgap Bill

harry-reid

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is refusing to negotiate.  Angering Republicans, his ‘my way or the highway’ solution to head off the looming government shut-down is for the House to roll over and accept the Senate’s Continuing Resolution.  The CR would fund all of government and Obamacare, which is unacceptable to the fiscally responsible Republicans.  Republicans in the House will vote tonight to pass another stopgap spending bill.  It would concede to the Senate’s funding proposal, but would defer funding Obamacare for another year.  Reid told the Republicans to cooperate with his plan, now, and he will talk to them at a later time down the road.  How magnanimous of him.

According to the Washington Times,

House Republicans said Saturday they will try to pass another stopgap spending bill that delays President Obama’s health law for one year, in a final effort to try to put a dent in Obamacare before more of it takes effect next week — but Democrats immediately shot the plan down, saying it virtually guarantees a government shutdown.

Emerging from a closed-door meeting, Republicans said they’ll vote late Saturday on the one-year delay, a separate repeal of one of Obamacare’s taxes, and on a bill that specifically funds the troops to make sure they aren’t held hostage as both sides race toward a shutdown.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the House not to bother, calling it “pointless” and repeating his vow to have his Democratic majority defeat anything the House sends over.

Democrats’ refusal to entertain any conditions on a stopgap spending bill is further angering Republicans, who said Mr. Reid will eventually have to engage in talks.

“At some point Harry Reid’s going to have to negotiate with us. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe, who knows,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, North Carolina Republican.

Rank-and-file Republicans have said for months that they wanted to use the spending bills to try to undo part of the Affordable Care Act, but Democrats and even Republican leaders had tried to talk them out of it.

The issue became a deep split within the GOP, but members emerged from the closed-door meeting Saturday saying they were unified behind this latest move.

The new GOP plan would take the Senate’s version of the spending bill, attach a one-year delay of Obamacare and a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s new tax on medical devices, a tax that has earned bipartisan opposition. Separately, Republicans would pass a bill making sure military salaries continue to be paid no matter what happens with a shutdown. …

But Mr. Reid said he is willing to talk — later — about changes to Obamacare, but he said the Senate won’t even entertain these latest House bills in the middle of the spending fight. He said the only option to stave off a shutdown is for the House to accept the Senate’s latest proposal, which funds all of government, including Obamacare.

Even though Americans Reject by 61% Obama’s Demand for Clean Debt Vote, Obama scolded Congress today, “Pass a budget on time and pay our bills on time.”  But, he knows there’s always enough revenue to pay the debt.  It’s just more fear-mongering from the Democrats.  Say, when was the last time Obama offered a budget proposal that didn’t get unanimously rejected by Congress with bi-partisan laughter?

The last time the Democrats passed a budget Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska.

 

Thanks for sharing!