Over the weekend, House Republicans approved a stop-gap spending measure that puts health care reform on hold for a year for no reason and makes it harder for Americans to get contraception access. GOP leaders said the Senate had to pass this bill or they’d shut down the government.
The bill was not well received in the upper chamber.
The Senate voted to table House amendments intended to delay Obamacare and repeal a medical device tax.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., wasted no time when the Senate came in Monday at 2 p.m. He made the motion, which cannot be filibustered, without any debate.
The House bill was rejected on a 54-46 vote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), taking a break from saying nothing for the last several weeks, tried to play a mildly constructive role this afternoon, suggesting Congress accept a one-week extension of the status quo in order to avoid a government shutdown. Both Democrats and Republicans sounded skeptical of the idea, and for good reason — it’s not clear what difference a week would make. Either House Republicans are prepared to accept the agreed upon spending levels or they’re prepared to shut down the government. That’s true now, and it’ll remain true seven days from now. The obvious resolution — simply letting the House vote on the “clean” Senate bill — has received very little attention from House GOP leaders, at least for now. There are several reports that the House will try, once more, to pass a ridiculous bill intended to fail, in the hopes that far-right GOP lawmakers can try, once more, to say a shutdown isn’t their fault.
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