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House G.O.P. to Plan Next Step as Budget Clock Runs Down House G.O.P. to Plan Next Step as Budget Clock Runs Down
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — House Republicans will meet in a rare Saturday session as they plan their next move to keep the government open past midnight on Monday while extracting major concessions on President Obama’s health care law. WASHINGTON — The federal government careened Saturday toward its first shutdown in 17 years, as the White House and Congress pointed fingers at each other and as Republicans in the House sought to shape their response to a Senate bill that removed a House provision tying further government financing to a gutting of President Obama’s health care law.
The Senate turned up the pressure on the House on Friday, passing a stopgap spending bill that would keep the government financed through Nov. 15 while leaving the health care law intact. Now, House Republicans must decide whether to accept the measure, attach minor changes to the health care law that could win Democratic support, or confront the Senate anew by again tying further government financing to a gutting of the law. House Republicans prepared to meet in a rare Saturday session to plot their next move, which would effectively decide whether much of the government will be shuttered as of Tuesday. If Republican leaders relent and accept a stopgap bill passed by the Senate on Friday to keep the government running through Nov. 15 without the health care provisions, the shutdown could be averted. But if that happens, House Speaker John A. Boehner will face a revolt from the conservative side of his caucus.
Any move short of passing the Senate bill is likely to shut down the government, at least briefly, unless it is accompanied by a measure that would finance the government for at least a few days. That would allow the Republican to keep their struggle alive. House Republicans on Saturday appeared ready to let the government shut down, at least for “a very brief” time, said Representative Doug Lambron, Republican of Colorado.
In his Saturday radio and Internet address, the president accused Republicans in the House of being “more concerned with appeasing an extreme faction of their party than working to pass a budget that creates new jobs or strengthens the middle class.” . Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina, shrugged off the drama. “The federal government has shut down 17 times before, sometimes when the Democrats were in control, sometimes with divided government,” she said.
“And in the next couple days, these Republicans will have to decide whether to join the Senate and keep the government open, or create a crisis that will hurt people for the sole purpose of advancing their ideological agenda,” he adds. “The American people have worked too hard to recover from crisis to see extremists in their Congress cause another one.” “What are we doing on our side of the aisle? We’re fighting for the American people.”
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, used the Republican radio address on Saturday to shift the debate to another important deadline, Oct. 17, when Congress must raise the government’s statutory borrowing limit or risk a potentially catastrophic default on the national debt. If, as is likely, Republicans choose to press ahead with delaying or gutting the Affordable Care Act, the government will almost certainly close. Raising the stakes, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, sent the Senate home for the weekend.
“The president is now demanding that we increase the debt limit without engaging in any kind of bipartisan discussions about addressing our spending problem,” Ms. Rodgers said. “He wants to take the easy way out — exactly the kind of foolishness that got us here in the first place.” In his weekly address on Saturday, Mr. Obama said: “Republicans in the House have been more concerned with appeasing an extreme faction of their party than working to pass a budget that creates new jobs or strengthens the middle class. And in the next couple days, these Republicans will have to decide whether to join the Senate and keep the government open, or create a crisis that will hurt people for the sole purpose of advancing their ideological agenda. The American people have worked too hard to recover from crisis to see extremists in their Congress cause another one.”
Congressional Republicans are waging a two-front political war: one with Mr. Obama and the Democrats, the other within their own ranks. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the House Republican Conference chairwoman, used the weekly Republican address to shift the debate to an even more perilous deadline, Oct. 17, when Congress must raise the government’s statutory borrowing limit or precipitate a potentially catastrophic debt default.
The House Republicans’ meeting, which is to begin at noon, is intended to produce spending legislation that is coupled with Republican health care demands, and the measure would face a vote on Sunday. That would leave the Senate just one day to deal with the House legislation before much of the government closes down for lack of funds. Without unanimous support in the Senate, the rules of the chamber would never let any such measure pass that quickly. “The president is now demanding that we increase the debt limit without engaging in any kind of bipartisan discussions about addressing our spending problem,” she said. “He wants to take the easy way out — exactly the kind of foolishness that got us here in the first place.”
It is unclear how the House will proceed. Divisions within the Republican caucus have prevented the leadership from presenting a united front or developing a coherent strategy that would keep the government operating and raise the debt limit while extracting demands from the Democrats. House conservatives, encouraged by hard-liners in the Senate like Ted Cruz of Texas, torpedoed a plan by the leadership to tie an increase in the debt ceiling to a laundry list of Republican priorities. They argued that the leadership was pushing legislation that contained too little deficit reduction and undermined the push to gut the health care law. As they face a difficult and fateful decision, House Republican leaders are staring at a double-barreled fiscal crisis while waging a two-front political war: one with Mr. Obama and the Democrats, and the other within their own ranks.
Republicans are split between moderates who are searching for fig-leaf concession to keep the government open and conservatives who will accept nothing less than a one-year delay in the health care law. Enrollment in the law’s new insurance exchanges begins on Tuesday. The noon meeting on Saturday was supposed to produce spending legislation coupled with Republican health care demands, which could be voted on over the weekend, leaving the Senate just one day to deal with it before much of the government closes down for lack of money. Without unanimous support in the Senate, the rules of the chamber would never let any such measure pass that quickly.
But how the House will proceed remains opaque. Republican divisions have denied their leaders a united rhetorical front and a coherent strategy to keep the government operating and raise the debt limit while extracting demands from the Democrats.
Conservative Republicans in the House, egged on by hard-liners in the Senate like Ted Cruz of Texas, torpedoed a leadership plan to tie a debt-ceiling increase to a laundry list of Republican policies dating back three years — arguing the legislation contained too little deficit reduction and undermined the push to gut the health care law in the shadow of a shutdown.
Republicans are split between moderates who are searching for fig-leaf concessions to keep the government open and conservatives who will accept nothing less than a one-year delay in the health care law. Enrollment in the law’s new insurance exchanges begins on Tuesday.
“I’ve been very clear,” said Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania. “I do not support shutting the government down. I do not support default — under any circumstances.”“I’ve been very clear,” said Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania. “I do not support shutting the government down. I do not support default — under any circumstances.”
House conservatives insist that Democrats will give in to their demands rather than defend a health care law that the Republicans say is unpopular with voters in both parties. Sixty-one House Republicans introduced legislation on Friday evening to delay the law, the Affordable Care Act, for one year, and they said they would attach the measure to the Senate spending bill. That voting bloc is large enough to dictate the debate if its members can stick together.House conservatives insist that Democrats will give in to their demands rather than defend a health care law that the Republicans say is unpopular with voters in both parties. Sixty-one House Republicans introduced legislation on Friday evening to delay the law, the Affordable Care Act, for one year, and they said they would attach the measure to the Senate spending bill. That voting bloc is large enough to dictate the debate if its members can stick together.
“The Democrats realize that we need to delay Obamacare by one year because it’s not ready for prime time,” said Representative Raúl Labrador, Republican of Idaho. “It’s not ready for action,” “The Democrats realize that we need to delay Obamacare by one year because it’s not ready for prime time,” said Representative Raúl Labrador, Republican of Idaho. “It’s not ready for action.”
But even in the conservative ranks, there is little agreement about the demands that should be made to keep the government open. Social conservatives are seeking to attach language to the next version of a stopgap spending bill that would allow employers and health care providers to opt out of the requirement that insurance policies cover contraception. Representative Chris Smith, Republican of New Jersey, said it “would be unconscionable” to vote for even a short-term spending measure without it.But even in the conservative ranks, there is little agreement about the demands that should be made to keep the government open. Social conservatives are seeking to attach language to the next version of a stopgap spending bill that would allow employers and health care providers to opt out of the requirement that insurance policies cover contraception. Representative Chris Smith, Republican of New Jersey, said it “would be unconscionable” to vote for even a short-term spending measure without it.
That has left Senate Democrats exasperated. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, took a hard line on Friday, saying he would not accept any changes to the health care law, no matter how minor, if they were the price to prevent a government shutdown. He backed that up by announcing that the Senate would meet again on Monday, on the eve of the shutdown, and allow the House to struggle through the weekend.That has left Senate Democrats exasperated. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, took a hard line on Friday, saying he would not accept any changes to the health care law, no matter how minor, if they were the price to prevent a government shutdown. He backed that up by announcing that the Senate would meet again on Monday, on the eve of the shutdown, and allow the House to struggle through the weekend.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said there could be no negotiations until House Republicans united around a position. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said there could be no negotiations until House Republicans had a position around which they could unite.
“They don’t yet,” he said.“They don’t yet,” he said.