The House voted along party lines Friday on a new short-term spending plan that includes a provision to defund the ACA, or Obamacare. This stopgap spending bill is intended to avoid a shutdown of the federal government before September 30th, the end of the fiscal year. It was passed by a measure of 230-189.
The Pennsylvania delegation mirrored the rest of the House by voting on party lines.
Despite strong support in the House, there is little chance the spending plan will make it out of the Senate. Instead this is a likely a bargaining chip for the GOP moving forward in the negotiations.
In a statement, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) suggested that the vote was as much about strategy as substance.
“I voted for a Continuing Resolution which will give both Republicans and Democrats the time needed to write a workable plan to put our country back on the right track. Today’s vote keeps the government running and fulfills our financial obligations.”
By drawing this line in the sand, House Republicans hope to shift the starting point of the debate rightward.
For Democrats, this vote is being viewed as an extreme measure that creates complications rather than progress.
In a press release sent out this afternoon, the DCCC was already using the vote to target the relatively centrist Fitzpatrick as co-opting Tea party interests.
“Congressman Fitzpatrick just voted to go all-in on the Tea Party’s kamikaze mission — voting to shut down the U.S. government unless his demand to give insurance companies free rein over health care is met,” said Emily Bittner of the DCCC.
Attention will now shift to the Democratic senate, where a minority of Republicans will try to maintain key pieces of the House bill. Although it is likely that Democratic Senators will strip away much of the bill, Republicans are expected to take any procedural measure available to keep it intact.
Loading ...
10 Responses
Question # 7 responds to the question “Would state and federal exchanges be able to operated during a shutdown?”
The response was yes with an explanation.
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=0af8b42a-b2b9-484b-b0d4-9d27e2b690ac
Here is a excellent link about the spending related to Tom Cobur’s requestof information pertaining to the defunding of ACA. I am still reading the document but it appears this is most likely why rep. Coburn is opposed to the house’s current tactics.
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=0af8b42a-b2b9-484b-b0d4-9d27e2b690ac
Senate is not going to defund it. ACA is going forward. What the house is doing is mere theatrics. Our nation does not have time for this.
It is true that there is mandatory spending associated with ObamaCare, but there is also discretionary spending associated therewith; the latter is in the category of command/control, in that [for example] the IRS-enforcement must be funded.
Thus, defunding NOW would lead to its not being implemented.
The defunding of ACA is a gimmick.
The ACA falls under mandatory spending. Mandatory spending would continue even under a government shutdown. The idea of separate CRs beginning with military spending is odd because the 2014 military budgets have already been passed. Clearly, the republicans will not have the votes to pass defund ACA in the senate.
The only logical conclusion is that this is a gimmick to rile up the base and hopefully get some campaign money in the process. It seems like the Cruz plan is an insult to his base.
I was told that Tim Murphy said he did not vote because he was attending his daughter’s wedding. The vote was Friday morning 20 September 2013. Friday morning seems like an unusual time for a wedding but I don’t know all the fact why Tim Murphy did not vote on this most crucial issue.
Ted Cruz is Canadian. They have universal government run health care in his birth country.
Guzzardi, as usual, is totally on-point…except that he may be a bit to unforgiving regarding Mike Fitzpatrick, as usual.
Pivotal is the strategy he outlined, which I’ve captured in multiple “blast” e-mails during recent weeks; this is consistent with the ideas that I’ve been promulgating aggressively, to wit:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/169924885/anti-Obama-CLVIII?2=0
Tim Murphy voted “Present” which was, effectively, a vote to FUND Obamacare and, can only be interpreted that Tim Murphy is FOR Obamacare. If he were against Obamacare, he would have voted to keep the government open while defunding Obamacare.
Tim Murphy’s district is R+ 10 district. Tim Murphy’s votes represent a Big Government Liberal orientation rather than views of the voters of his district. Tim Murphy is not voting his district; he is voting for spending and pork and debt and deficits. I am thinking he vulnerable to a Primary which is the only word he would understand.
After much waffling and after much pressure from a well organized effort in BucksCo, and direction from Leader Boehner, Mike Fitzpatrick voted to keep government open and defund Obamacare.
After much waffling and with pressure of Art Halvorson’s primary, Bill Shuster voted to keep government open and defund Obamacare.
FYI Sen. Ted Cruz has devised a brilliant strategy.
Politico Reports that Cruz has advised the House to pass a CR for military spending. The Ds cannot vote NO so the military will be paid. I expect Sen. Cruz will slice up CR to fund each portion of government except Treasury and HHS which administer Obamacare. The Ds cannot vote NO. and then only a very thin part of government is shut down. Can I hope IRS agents don’t come to work. 🙂
***********
“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Friday that the House should pass a government funding measure for only the military if the Senate sends back a spending bill that does not defund ObamaCare.
“I hope they respond to the Senate, if Harry Reid does try to force a government shutdown, by passing one continuing resolution (CR) after another funding each specific piece of government, starting off with funding the military,” Cruz said on Fox News.
***
When the government nearly shut down in 2011, Pentagon planners told service members they would remain on the job without pay, while roughly have of Defense Department civilians would be sent home without pay, according to Stars and Stripes. Troops would not be paid, however, until the shutdown ”
http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-appropriations/323781-cruz-house-should-pass-military-only-funding-measure
mike did the right-thing, as did Boehner et al. plus two D’s [who are quite electorally vulnerable]; the Senate is on Cruz-Control, and he will lead a “seminar” next week on all that’s evil about ObamaCare [reminding people of what they already know].
The Bucks County “Tea Party Movement” is thrilled!