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| Senate Passes Budget Bill as House Weighs Options | Senate Passes Budget Bill as House Weighs Options |
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| WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved stopgap spending legislation to keep the federal government open without gutting President Obama’s health care law, setting up a weekend showdown with the House that will decide whether much of the government shuts down at midnight Monday. | WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved stopgap spending legislation to keep the federal government open without gutting President Obama’s health care law, setting up a weekend showdown with the House that will decide whether much of the government shuts down at midnight Monday. |
| The 54-to-44 vote for final passage followed a more critical moment when the Senate, in a bipartisan rebuke to Republican hard-liners, cut off debate on the legislation. The 79-to-19 vote included the top Republican leadership and easily exceeded the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. | The 54-to-44 vote for final passage followed a more critical moment when the Senate, in a bipartisan rebuke to Republican hard-liners, cut off debate on the legislation. The 79-to-19 vote included the top Republican leadership and easily exceeded the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. |
| The Senate then voted along party lines, 54 to 44, to strip out House Republican language that tied further funding of the government to defunding the health care law. That vote required only a simple 51-vote majority. | The Senate then voted along party lines, 54 to 44, to strip out House Republican language that tied further funding of the government to defunding the health care law. That vote required only a simple 51-vote majority. |
| Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, called the votes “the first step toward wresting control from the extremists.” Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, had been urging his Senate colleagues all week to oppose ending debate as a way to force Democrats to accept language defunding the Affordable Care Act. But with the clock ticking toward an Oct. 1 government shutdown, an overwhelming bipartisan majority wanted to act quickly to move the spending bill back to the House. | Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, called the votes “the first step toward wresting control from the extremists.” Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, had been urging his Senate colleagues all week to oppose ending debate as a way to force Democrats to accept language defunding the Affordable Care Act. But with the clock ticking toward an Oct. 1 government shutdown, an overwhelming bipartisan majority wanted to act quickly to move the spending bill back to the House. |
| President Obama, speaking in the White House briefing room after the vote, called on Republicans to accept the Senate measure to avoid government disruptions. “Do not threaten to burn the house down just because you haven’t gotten 100 percent of your way,” Mr. Obama said. | President Obama, speaking in the White House briefing room after the vote, called on Republicans to accept the Senate measure to avoid government disruptions. “Do not threaten to burn the house down just because you haven’t gotten 100 percent of your way,” Mr. Obama said. |
| Now Speaker John A. Boehner faces a defining choice: accept the Senate bill, which funds the government through Nov. 15 without Republican policy prescriptions, or listen to his conservatives, who will accept a government shutdown unless serious damage is done to the health care law. House Republicans will meet at noon Saturday to hash out their options. Mr. Boehner has signaled that he will again attach language to chip away at the Affordable Care Act, but as the deadline approaches, fissures are appearing in the Republican ranks. | Now Speaker John A. Boehner faces a defining choice: accept the Senate bill, which funds the government through Nov. 15 without Republican policy prescriptions, or listen to his conservatives, who will accept a government shutdown unless serious damage is done to the health care law. House Republicans will meet at noon Saturday to hash out their options. Mr. Boehner has signaled that he will again attach language to chip away at the Affordable Care Act, but as the deadline approaches, fissures are appearing in the Republican ranks. |
| “The only time you shut down the government is when you shut it down and refuse to open it until you accomplish what you want. We’ll fold like hotcakes,” said Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma. “You do not take a hostage you are not going to for sure shoot, and we will not for sure shoot this hostage.” | “The only time you shut down the government is when you shut it down and refuse to open it until you accomplish what you want. We’ll fold like hotcakes,” said Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma. “You do not take a hostage you are not going to for sure shoot, and we will not for sure shoot this hostage.” |
| The Senate legislation would almost certainly win approval in the House, largely with Democratic votes, but conservatives warned it could hurt the beleaguered speaker dearly. | The Senate legislation would almost certainly win approval in the House, largely with Democratic votes, but conservatives warned it could hurt the beleaguered speaker dearly. |
| “I think it would be devastating to the speaker’s support,” said Representative Richard Hudson, Republican of North Carolina, who is one of the members urging the Republican leadership to drive a hard bargain with the Senate. | “I think it would be devastating to the speaker’s support,” said Representative Richard Hudson, Republican of North Carolina, who is one of the members urging the Republican leadership to drive a hard bargain with the Senate. |
| “I think the question is do we go with the carrot or the stick strategy,” Mr. Hudson added. “Do we try to do something bad enough to force Harry Reid to negotiate with us, or do we do something that we think he can’t refuse?” | “I think the question is do we go with the carrot or the stick strategy,” Mr. Hudson added. “Do we try to do something bad enough to force Harry Reid to negotiate with us, or do we do something that we think he can’t refuse?” |
| Republicans were also considering a simple bill to keep the government open for as little as seven days while the legislative jousting continues. That was sternly opposed by senior Republicans, like Representative Harold Rogers of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. | Republicans were also considering a simple bill to keep the government open for as little as seven days while the legislative jousting continues. That was sternly opposed by senior Republicans, like Representative Harold Rogers of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. |
| “If you can’t get the House and Senate together by midnight Sept. 30, it becomes a more viable strategy,” said Representative Pat Tiberi, Republican of Ohio and a close ally of Mr. Boehner. | “If you can’t get the House and Senate together by midnight Sept. 30, it becomes a more viable strategy,” said Representative Pat Tiberi, Republican of Ohio and a close ally of Mr. Boehner. |
| Mr. Reid has said he would reject anything but a plain budget bill. | Mr. Reid has said he would reject anything but a plain budget bill. |
| By Friday, most House Republicans had come around to the view of their leadership: that a government shutdown would be painful for their party from a political and public relations standpoint. Many said they would consider voting for a stopgap spending measure covering as few as seven days to keep the government funded as they struggle to come up with a more long-term solution. | By Friday, most House Republicans had come around to the view of their leadership: that a government shutdown would be painful for their party from a political and public relations standpoint. Many said they would consider voting for a stopgap spending measure covering as few as seven days to keep the government funded as they struggle to come up with a more long-term solution. |
| “Listen, I’m not going to let the government shut down,” said Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. “I don’t want to be undercutting Boehner, but put it this way: I will not let the government shut down.” | “Listen, I’m not going to let the government shut down,” said Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. “I don’t want to be undercutting Boehner, but put it this way: I will not let the government shut down.” |
| But House Republicans thought they might be able to find a compromise with Senate Democrats — including, they said, on some more modest changes to the president’s health care law, or in exchange for approval of Republican priorities like the Keystone XL pipeline. | But House Republicans thought they might be able to find a compromise with Senate Democrats — including, they said, on some more modest changes to the president’s health care law, or in exchange for approval of Republican priorities like the Keystone XL pipeline. |
| “I’d love to see a medical device repeal, whether it’s Keystone, even a delay in the individual mandate,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, referring to a tax on medical device manufacturers. “Look, I think the administration realizes that Obamacare is not ready for prime time, and so I think ultimately maybe they’d be amenable to it.” | “I’d love to see a medical device repeal, whether it’s Keystone, even a delay in the individual mandate,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, referring to a tax on medical device manufacturers. “Look, I think the administration realizes that Obamacare is not ready for prime time, and so I think ultimately maybe they’d be amenable to it.” |