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Obama Criticizes House G.O.P. as Senate Rejects Budget Plan Government Near Broad Shutdown in Budget Impasse
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders pushed forward a new plan to tie further government spending to a one-year delay in a requirement that individuals buy health insurance, after the Senate took less than 25 minutes to convene and dispose of a weekend budget proposal by the House Republicans. WASHINGTON — The federal government teetered Monday night on the brink of its first shutdown in nearly two decades after last-minute moves by the House and Senate failed to break a bitter budget standoff over President Obama’s health care law, raising the prospect that federal agencies would run out of money as of Tuesday.
The rapid back-and-forth came with the federal government essentially running out of money at midnight if no agreement is reached. The Republicans were planning a vote later Monday on the new plan, which also includes a denial of government subsidies to lawmakers and their staff members buying health insurance. House Republican leaders won approval, in a vote of 228 to 201, of a new plan to tie further government spending to a one-year delay in a requirement that individuals buy health insurance after the Senate took less than 25 minutes to convene and dispose of a weekend budget proposal by the House Republicans. The House proposal would deny federal subsidies to members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff, executive branch political appointees, White House staff, and the president and vice president, who would be forced to buy their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchanges.
President Obama spoke in the White House briefing room on Monday evening, and castigated House Republicans for failing to perform one of the most basic functions by not providing money for the government. He said a shutdown would harm the economic recovery. Senate Democrats said firmly that they had no intention of accepting the House Republicans’ latest volley, and Mr. Obama delivered a harsh rebuke to Congressional Republicans from the White House.
“The idea of putting the American people’s hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility and doesn’t have to happen,” Mr. Obama said. “Let me repeat that: It does not have to happen. All of this is entirely preventable.” “One faction in one branch of government doesn’t get to shut down the entire government just to refight the results of an election,” Mr. Obama said in the White House briefing room as the clock ticked to midnight. “You don’t get to extract a ransom for doing your job.”
He added, “One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government doesn’t get to shut down the entire government just to re-fight the results of an election.” Aides said that the president called Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio on Monday night to discuss the impasse and that Mr. Boehner reiterated his objections to the health law.
Earlier Monday, the Senate, along party lines, voted 54-46 to kill the House plan just over 20 minutes after coming back into session from a weekend break. Senators then sent the House a bill to finance the government through Nov. 15 without policy prescriptions. The legislative and politically charged volleys flying between the chambers of Congress and the White House passed for action, but all sides understood they had little way of bridging the chasm separating the parties before Tuesday, when 800,000 federal workers were to be furloughed and more than a million others would be asked to go to work without pay.
But House leaders would have none of it, again demanding a significant hit to the health law as a price for keeping the government open. At 12:01 a.m., much of the government is set to close, furloughing 800,000 workers and withholding paychecks for millions of others who will be expected to work without compensation. The House’s most ardent conservatives appeared ready to see their war over the health care law through to its inevitable conclusion, a shutdown that would test voters’ patience. But cracks in the Republican caucus opened into fissures of frustration.
“The president provided a one-year delay of the employer mandate. He’s provided for exceptions for unions and others. There’s even an exception for members of Congress. We believe that everyone should be treated fairly,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio. “You have this group that keeps saying somehow if you’re not with them, you’re for Obamacare,” said Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California. “If you’re not with exactly their plan, exactly what they want to do, then you’re somehow for Obamacare, and it’s just getting a little old. It’s moronic to shut down the government over this.”
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader, laid into the speaker and put the blame for a looming shutdown solely on his shoulders. The House’s most conservative Republicans, with some help from a handful of moderate Republicans, worked Monday evening to bring down the Republican leadership’s latest effort to link further government financing to the health law, arguing that the effort did too little to cripple the Affordable Care Act. The fledgling revolt fell short on a procedural motion to begin considering the proposal — possibly the House’s last before a government shutdown. Only six Republicans voted no.
Earlier Monday, the Senate voted 54-46 along party lines to kill the House plan immediately after ending a weekend break. Senators then sent the House a bill to finance the government through Nov. 15 without policy prescriptions.
But House leaders would have none of it, again demanding a significant hit to the health law as a price for keeping the government open.
“The president provided a one-year delay of the employer mandate,” Mr. Boehner said. “He’s provided for exceptions for unions and others. There’s even an exception for members of Congress. We believe that everyone should be treated fairly.”
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader, laid into the speaker and put the blame for a shutdown solely on his shoulders.
“Our negotiation is over with,” he said.“Our negotiation is over with,” he said.
“You know with a bully you cannot let them slap you around because they slap you around today, they slap you five or six times tomorrow,” Mr. Reid, a former boxer, continued. “We are not going to be bullied.” “You know with a bully you cannot let them slap you around, because they slap you around today, they slap you five or six times tomorrow,” Mr. Reid, a former boxer, continued. “We are not going to be bullied.”
In addition to criticizing Mr. Boehner in harsh terms, Mr. Reid excoriated what he called the “banana Republican mindset” of the House. He called on the speaker to put the Senate bill up for a vote, which would almost certainly pass in the House because of overwhelming Democratic support and backing from moderate Republicans. In addition to criticizing Mr. Boehner in harsh terms, Mr. Reid excoriated what he called the “banana Republican mind-set” of the House. He called on the speaker to put the Senate bill up for a vote, which would almost certainly pass in the House because of overwhelming Democratic support and backing from moderate Republicans.
“I have a very simple message to John Boehner: Let the House vote. Stop trying to force a government shutdown,” he said. “I have a very simple message to John Boehner: Let the House vote. Stop trying to force a government shutdown,” Mr. Reid said.
Mr. Reid also ruled out a short-term stopgap bill that could keep the government funded for several days while both sides continued to pursue an agreement.
But House Republicans showed no sign of backing down, signaling a readiness to shut down the federal government over the health law.
In their latest move, House Republicans attached language to a government funding bill that would delay the mandate that individuals obtain health insurance and would force members of Congress, their staffs and White House staff members to buy their health insurance on the new exchanges without any government subsidies.In their latest move, House Republicans attached language to a government funding bill that would delay the mandate that individuals obtain health insurance and would force members of Congress, their staffs and White House staff members to buy their health insurance on the new exchanges without any government subsidies.
That proposal makes it more likely that a partial shutdown of the government will begin just after midnight, barring a last-minute retreat by the House. Conservative activists have portrayed the language as ensuring that Congress and the White House would be held to the same strictures that apply to ordinary Americans under the health care law. In fact, the language would put poorly paid junior staff members at a disadvantage.
Conservative activists have framed the language as ensuring that Congress and the White House live under the same strictures as ordinary Americans under the health care law. In fact, the language would put poorly paid junior staff members at a disadvantage. Most people buying coverage on the exchanges will receive subsidies through generous tax credits. Most Americans will still get their insurance from their employers, who will continue to receive a tax deduction for the cost of that care. Most people buying coverage on the exchanges will receive subsidies through generous tax credits. Most Americans will still get their insurance from their employers, who will continue to receive a tax deduction for the cost of that care. Under the House language, lawmakers and their staffs, executive branch political appointees, the White House staff, and the president and vice president would have to pay the entire cost of health insurance out of pocket.
Under the House language, lawmakers and their staffs, executive branch political appointees, the White House staff, as well as the vice president and the president, would have to pay the entire cost of health insurance out of pocket. Unlike on Saturday, when House Republicans emerged excited and unified by their proposal, this time there were significant qualms. that their own age or their health conditions would make buying insurance a struggle.
Unlike Saturday, when House Republicans emerged excited and unified by their proposal, this time there were significant qualms. “There are definitely some people who are very much not for it,” said Rep. Bill Shuster, Republican of Pennsylvania.
Representative Chris Stewart, Republican of Utah, said members were standing to say they had sick children who would be hard to insure, or they themselves would struggle to buy insurance, either because of their age or their health conditions. Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York, said junior staff members were “being used as a sacrifice” for a political gambit, driven by Republican hard-liners in the Senate like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, that will go nowhere.
The House will vote again this evening, but this time passage is not ensured. “There are definitely some people who are very much not for it. We’ll see what happens on the floor tonight,” said Rep. Bill Shuster, Republican of Pennsylvania. “They locked themselves into this situation, the dead end that Ted Cruz created, and there’s no other way to get out of it but keep on going and going,” Mr. King said.
Rep. Peter King, Republican of New York, said junior staff members were being “sacrificed” for a political gambit. The budget confrontation — which threatens to close federal offices and facilities, idling thousands of workers around the country — stemmed from an unusual push by Republicans to undo a law that has been on the books for three years, through a presidential election, and that the Supreme Court largely upheld in 2012. A major part of the law is set to take effect Tuesday: the opening of insurance exchanges, where people without health insurance will be able to obtain coverage.
The budget confrontation — which threatens to close federal offices and facilities, idling thousands of workers around the country — stems from an unusual push by Republicans to undo a law that has been on the books for three years, through a presidential election, and that the Supreme Court largely upheld in 2012. A major part of the law is set to take effect Tuesday: the opening of insurance exchanges, where people without health insurance will be able to obtain coverage.
Absent a last-minute agreement by the two parties, parts of the federal government that President Obama does not deem essential will shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.
Republicans argue that the Obama administration has itself delayed elements of the law. They say that at a minimum it should be postponed for a year to eliminate what they see as bureaucratic problems and harmful consequences for businesses and individuals. Republicans also say they have compromised by retreating from their insistence that all money be stripped from the health law.Republicans argue that the Obama administration has itself delayed elements of the law. They say that at a minimum it should be postponed for a year to eliminate what they see as bureaucratic problems and harmful consequences for businesses and individuals. Republicans also say they have compromised by retreating from their insistence that all money be stripped from the health law.
Democrats say that Republicans are being driven by the most extreme elements of their party to use the federal budget to extract concessions on health care that they could not win through the traditional legislative process. They say that the push to halt the health care law just as Americans will be able to sign up for coverage is outrageous, and that a governmentwide shutdown will threaten the nation’s slow economic recovery and cause widespread and unnecessary disruptions for the public. Democrats have won support from some Senate Republicans, who see a shutdown as damaging to their party. Democrats say Republicans are being driven by the most extreme elements of their party to use the federal budget to extract concessions on health care that they could not win through the traditional legislative process. But with the government poised for a shutdown, no one in Congress seemed to know how or when the showdown would end. “The scary thing about the period we’re in right now is there is no clear end,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland.
“I still hold up a small hope that the Republicans will come to their senses, that the mainstream Republicans will say ‘enough already,'” Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC on Monday, urging the House Republican leadership to put a spending bill without policy prescriptions to a vote on the floor. “The question is, does Speaker Boehner need to engage in something like the ancient practice of sacrifice, this time to the right-wing gods? Do we have to sacrifice the economy, help for millions of middle-class people?”

Ashley Parker contributed reporting.

Jeremy W. Peters and Jonathan Weisman contributed reporting.