House passes spending bill to defund Obamacare

[Working Poor]

By Stephen Dinan-The Washington Times



House Republicans passed their stopgap funding bill Friday to keep government open while terminating the new health care law, setting up a final showdown next week with Senate Democrats and President Obama who have firmly rejected the GOP approach.
The 230-189 vote, which split almost exactly along party lines, is the precursor to the big action next week, when the Democratic majority in the Senate is expected to strip out the health care provisions and send the bill back to the House — where Republicans will have to decide whether they can accept it at that point.

All sides are racing to beat a Sept. 30 deadline, which is when current funding for the federal government runs out. The new measure would fund the government through Dec. 15, essentially at last year’s levels, and would leave the budget sequester cuts in place.
But Republicans on Friday also attached two amendments to the final bill — one to direct how government spending is prioritized in the event the Treasury Department bumps up against its borrowing limit in the coming weeks, and another that strips out funding for President Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which would effectively stop its implementation.
“The American people don’t want the government shut down, and they don’t want Obamacare,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner, who rallied with fellow Republicans after the vote in a show of unity that seemed designed to quell speculation about a rebellion within the House Republican Conference.





http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...und-obamacare/

[FSP-Rebel]

[tsai3904]

Look what was stuck in the CR:

Sec. 134. Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.

This article from The Hill explains the "custom"

A little-known custom of the Senate will provide the widow of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) with a year’s worth of his salary.

The continuing resolution to fund the government contains a provision — labeled a “bereavement payment” — for Irene Hirano to receive $193,400.

The money is a standard death benefit for senators who die in office, a Senate Appropriations Committee staffer told The Hill.

The Senate Handbook states that “in the next Appropriations Bill, an item will be inserted for a gratuity to be paid to the Widow(er) or other next-of-kin, in the amount of one year’s compensation.”

Inouye died in December 2012.

The children of the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) saw a similar provision made in 2010, when a budget line item provided a year’s worth of Byrd’s salary for them to share.

http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know...a-years-salary

[jllundqu]

A fools errand. Dead on arrival in senate... Even if it passed senate, Obama would not sign a CR that guts his biggest achievement.

Very stupid move by GOP

[tsai3904]

A fools errand. Dead on arrival in senate... Even if it passed senate, Obama would not sign a CR that guts his biggest achievement.

Very stupid move by GOP

No one expects Obama to sign a bill that defunds Obamacare. There aren't only two options of defunding Obamacare or govt shutdown. They're negotiating by telling the other side what their goal is. Then most GOP would settle for delays of parts of Obamacare.

[JK/SEA]

Not a stupid move. An heroic move. From my perspective, i'd rather fight like hell, than to just roll over and let the status quo continue on without a few left right hooks to the jaw.

We're winning...even in certain defeat....this is one of my definitions of the word PATRIOT. Damn the torpedoes...full speed ahead.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Showdown @ the 'Not-So-OK-Congressional-Coral'

These clowns in June, increased DOD spending for FY2014 by $28.1 Billion(so much for sequester) and the Nazi Department of Homeland security increased their FY2013 by ~$10 Billion... so tired of all these Washington DC clowns turning America into a super-enriched government surrounded by a militarized Banana Republic, @ the expense of a debt ridden lower standard of living for the private citizens.

[libertyjam]

well looky, looky, Thinkprogress is occasionally useful after all. Suspect that there is truth in this:

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/201...-passed-house/

The House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through Dec. 15 and withhold funding for the Affordable Care Act. The 230-189 vote comes just 10 days before a possible shutdown and includes instructions authorizing the Treasury “to pay some bills and not others in the event that no deal is reached in October on increasing the debt limit.” Rep. Scott Rigel (VA) was the only Republican to vote against the measure, while just two Democrats — Reps. Jim Matheson (UT) and Mike McIntyre (NC) voted for it.

As the resolution now moves to the Senate, here is what you have to know about the fight ahead:

1. The House has voted to maintain sequestration cuts. The continuing resolution totals $986.3 billion in overall discretionary funding and includes 100 percent of next year’s sequester spending cuts for nondefense programs and services and about 60 percent of the automatic defense spending cuts. These levels of spending are approximately $70 billion lower than the spending caps originally laid out in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

2. Republicans didn’t actually defund Obamacare. Defunding Obamacare in the continuing resolution only targets the parts of the law that are subject to annual appropriations. The pillars of reform — Medicaid expansion, the subsidies used to buy insurance — are exempt from this process and are funded through so-called “mandatory” spending and have permanent funding authority. The Department of Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with implementing reform, also “has the ability to fund related provisions without seeking additional appropriations from Congress.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates that there is “at least $50 billion in specified and estimated authorizations of discretionary spending” that Republicans could presumably target.

3. What comes next. The Senate is expected to file cloture on the House CR on Friday night, but will not vote until the end of next week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will likely strip the Obamacare defunding provisions from the bill and send the measure back to the House. The Senate will need 60 to get on the bill, 51 votes on the substitute and then 60 votes to move to a final vote. It is unclear if Boehner will bring the Senate version to the floor, though he will likely need Democratic support to ensure passage. Congress must pass a budget agreement by Sept. 30 or the federal government will shutdown on Oct. 1.

[Working Poor]

Could Obamacare be unfunded if the mundanes refuse to pay for it?

[AlexAmore]

Could Obamacare be unfunded if the mundanes refuse to pay for it?

It would be interesting to know what the opt out rate (pay the fine) needs to be for Obamacare to collapse. I'm trying to find an analyse now.

[enhanced_deficit]

There is an opt out option for people? Did not know that.

If so, that does not look good for SWCcare.

[Zippyjuan]

A fools errand. Dead on arrival in senate... Even if it passed senate, Obama would not sign a CR that guts his biggest achievement.

Very stupid move by GOP

Only the 42nd time this year they have voted to defund Obamacare. Will this one have any different outcome than the previous 41?

[HOLLYWOOD]

Let's see de-funding of those 21 new or increased fees and/or taxes... that's when we know the Congressional Clown Cart is serious. The whole show is a fraud... if these bought and paid for politicians were serious, they could started a US Med Corp, just like the Peace Corp, services around the country. Very low cost, non-profit hospitals/out-in patient clinics with hub hospitals around the country. Want a medical expertise degree? Put your time in the Med Corp and help those that can't afford or just down-right stupid But we know, Medical Fascism is the current collaboration of ripping off the people via enforcement theft by Washington DC, with campaign donations, price fixing, corporatism, kickbacks, insider trading-deals, and targeted grants to health monopolies..

[jkob]

It's just political theater, whatever. The best case scenario is Boehner passes it with Dem votes + establishment Republicans and it costs them in the next congress.

[JustinTime]

A fools errand. Dead on arrival in senate... Even if it passed senate, Obama would not sign a CR that guts his biggest achievement.

Very stupid move by GOP

So they should give him exactly what he wants, since they know he would sign that?

[Working Poor]

To me it seems like people ought to be able to opt out without a fine. Don't tax me gov