House Democrats threaten to block government funding if GOP votes on Obamacare repeal this week

Source: NY Daily News
Published: Apr 27, 2017
Author: Cameron Joseph
Post Date: 2017-04-27 13:43:16 by cranky
Views: 2183

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (left) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (center), pictured with Rep. Eric Swalwell, are threatening to vote against a short-term bill to keep the government open.

House Democrats are threatening to vote against a short-term bill to keep the government open if Republicans force an Obamacare repeal vote in the next few days.

Democrats are furious that House Republicans are asking them to vote on a short-term funding measure to keep the government open in order to buy them time to find a bipartisan compromise, while at the same time moving to rush through a bill to repeal Obamacare that could give President Trump a major legislative victory ahead of his 100th day in office.

"If Republicans announce their intention to bring their harmful TrumpCare bill to the House Floor tomorrow or Saturday, I will oppose a one-week Continuing Resolution and will advise House Democrats to oppose it as well," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a Thursday statement. "If Republicans pursue this partisan path of forcing Americans to pay more for less and destabilizing our county's health care system — without even knowing how much their bill will cost — Republicans should be prepared to pass a one-week Continuing Resolution on their own."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) relayed the same message to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) Thursday morning.

"Yeah she said something to me about that," Ryan said Thursday. "I would be shocked that they would want to see a government shutdown, that the Democrats would want to do that."

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was “shocked” that the Democrats would “want to see a government shutdown.”

Funding for the government runs out after midnight Friday, and lawmakers in both parties have been pushing hard to find an agreement to avoid a shutdown. That's looked increasingly likely in recent days as Trump has backed off his insistence for border wall funding, but the House Democrats' threat could throw a wrench in plans to pass a short-term bill so party leaders can finish an agreement.

Still, it's unclear whether rank-and-file Democrats will go along - and Republicans might be able to round up enough votes in the House to push the funding bill through. The real question is in the Senate, where some Democratic support is definitely needed - and Senate Democrats didn't sound ready to back up their House colleagues on their threat.

"We're not up to that yet," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Thursday afternoon.

Post Comment   Private Reply

#1: Stoner    To: cranky (#0)

I don't know about everyone else, but I am sick of the demonturds. The Republicans have the House, the Senate, and now the Whitehouse. Yet the demonturds throw their fits, and they control the agenda. If the Republicans are in charge, they should act like it.

Stoner posted on 2017-04-27 14:14:04   Reply   Private Reply


#2: cranky    To: Stoner (#1)

If the Republicans are in charge, they should act like it.

The pubbies are in charge.

It's just that they don't want what the people who voted for them want.

cranky posted on 2017-04-27 14:22:12   Reply   Private Reply


#3: Stoner    To: cranky (#2)

" The pubbies are in charge.

It's just that they don't want what the people who voted for them want. "

That is why I refuse to vote for an incumbent, unless he has a very good voting record.

Stoner posted on 2017-04-27 14:39:38   Reply   Private Reply


#4: misterwhite    To: cranky (#0)

"House Democrats are threatening to vote against a short-term bill to keep the government open if Republicans force an Obamacare repeal vote in the next few days"

The Democrats really, really want to shut down the government so they can blame the Republicans. They're also insisting that we bail out Puerto Rico.

misterwhite posted on 2017-04-27 14:41:01   Reply   Private Reply


#5: cranky    To: misterwhite (#4)

The Democrats really, really want to shut down the government so they can blame the Republicans.

I've never understood that.

Most of the federal government spending is mandated.

Most of the checks will still go out. Let them shut it down.

cranky posted on 2017-04-27 15:02:55   Reply   Private Reply


#6: misterwhite    To: cranky (#5)

"Most of the checks will still go out. Let them shut it down."

True, but the MSM would be showing the closed federal parks, monuments and museums with visitor's children crying and blaming that meanie Trump.

Additionally, during the 1995-6 shutdown, "veterans' health and welfare services were curtailed, passport applications didn't get processed, new clinical research patients were not accepted at the National Institutes of Health, and federal contractors had to furlough employees."

Get ready for 24/7 coverage of the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

misterwhite posted on 2017-04-27 17:50:21   Reply   Private Reply


#7: cranky    To: misterwhite (#6)

passport applications didn't get processed

That was about the only thing that affected anybody I knew.

cranky posted on 2017-04-27 17:55:52   Reply   Private Reply