The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a short-term spending plan that would continue funding government operations through December 15, to avert a looming September 30 government shutdown. The continuing resolution was passed by a vote of 230-189, mostly along party lines, and funds the federal government at current sequester levels of $986.3 billion through mid-December but includes another attempt by Republicans to withhold funding for the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health-care law known as Obamacare. The resolution additionally authorizes the Treasury to pay some bills and not others in the event that no deal is reached in October on increasing the country’s debt limit.
The Senate is expected to move quickly next week to strip the Obamacare provisions from the bill. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-NV) said yesterday that any bill that defunds Obamacare “is dead” and “a waste of time” in the Senate. However, some conservative senators, including Senators Ed Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have said they would use various procedural tactics to keep up the fight against Obamacare, including a possible filibuster.
The House plans to be in session late next week to debate debt ceiling legislation.
