Senate Votes To Avoid Government Shutdown, But Clock Still Ticking

[cadet]

Senate Votes To Avoid Government Shutdown, But Clock Still Tickinghttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/27/government-shutdown-senate_n_4003789.html


WASHINGTON -- Stalled by tea party-inspired delays, the Senate voted Friday afternoon on a short-term measure to keep the government running with just over three days left before the money runs out.The Senate revised a House-passed bill that would have kept Uncle Sam at work until Dec. 15, as long as the upper chamber and President Barack Obama agreed to kill Obamacare. The Senate stripped the health care provision -- by an earlier 54-44 vote -- and changed the end date to Nov. 15. Democrats had insisted they would not negotiate over Obamacare in a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open.
The Senate bill passed 54 to 44.
Democrats were hoping that the House would then pass the Senate bill as is, ensuring the gears of the nation don't grind to a halt after midnight on Tuesday morning.
But House Republicans showed no signs of doing so, having gone home for the day after voting to name three buildings.
The lower chamber is set to come back in Saturday and Sunday to begin work on the Senate bill. Several House Republicans essentially said they did not stick around to take up the measure immediately because they don't know what to do with it. That uncertainty reflected the growing divide within the party that was so vividly on display with this week's 21-hour talkathon by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several allies, who refused to expedite the legislative process despite the wishes of GOP leaders.
Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) highlighted that split again on Friday, saying that allowing the vote to happen was tantamount to supporting Obamacare.
Two senators were absent for Friday's votes. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was attending his granddaughter's wedding, while Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) was at his son's wedding, their offices confirmed.
The Senate had to meet a 60-vote threshold to end debate before it could vote the government funding bill up or down by a simple majority. But that "cloture" vote succeeded 79 to 19, with many Republicans joining Democrats to let the process move ahead. If they had not, the government shutdown was a certainty. It still remains likely.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to proceed and perhaps avert the shutdown, saying it was more important to keep pressure on Democrats to chip away at the health care law.
“That’s the goal of every member on this side. We’re united on the need to repeal Obamacare," McConnell said.
“The problem here is that we can’t get that done unless some of our friends on the other side are prepared to step up and work with us on this issue," he said. “That doesn’t mean we’ll give up the fight if they don’t. We won’t. There are a lot of other things we can do in the meantime."
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said there was still room to make changes to Obamacare in the continuing resolution and advised House Republicans to amend the Senate bill to include language proposed by Sen. David Vitter (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/david-vitter-subsidies-obamacare-97240.html) (R-La.) requiring that lawmakers, the president and administration appointees no longer receive federal subsidies for their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
"If I were them, I would send back a clean CR with the Vitter language, but I'm not them," McCain told reporters ahead of the vote. "It's hard not to accept the Vitter language ... politically, of course. The American people don't think that Congress and their staffs should have different treatment than they have."
In order for the government to remain open, some sort of legislation -- either the measure passed Friday or some very short-term stopgap -- must pass within three days.
But in the House, the politics are, if anything, even more complicated. House Republicans said Friday morning that there was no way they would send a "clean" bill back to the Senate, and while they did not know precisely what riders they would attach, any alterations require the Senate to go through its much-slower legislative process all over again, unless all senators agree to the riders. So far, that has not happened in this funding fight.
Conservative hardliners in the House Republican conference continued to hold out hope that Obamacare could be derailed in the continuing resolution and called on the leadership to attach a one-year delay of the individual mandate to the Senate bill. Others wanted to repeal various taxes that fund the law.
But aides have said GOP leaders are unlikely (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/obamacare-2013_n_3991186.html) to try to tamper with the health care law again in a stopgap bill to keep the government open.
That stance has not gone over well with members of the tea party.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said by shifting focus to the looming fight over raising the debt ceiling, House Republican leaders were all but conceding that the battle over the continuing resolution was lost.
"We didn't need to be discussing the debt ceiling while we're discussing the CR. From a tactical standpoint, when you bring a debt ceiling in, it starts to imply that this fight's over and now we're onto a new one," King said. "That shouldn't be the case. We need to focus on a one-year delay in the CR."

[gabosaurus]

Ted Cruz is alive and well after 21 hours of Teabagging. Nice of him to attempt to hold the government hostage while he campaigns for the 2016 GOP presidential bid.

[cadet]

Ted Cruz is alive and well after 21 hours of Teabagging. Nice of him to attempt to hold the government hostage while he campaigns for the 2016 GOP presidential bid.

I only heard a little about what he said, mostly that the gov't doesn't listen to the people anymore.
Honestly, that's about all I know about him, but that statement right there made me like him. When I'm not busy with studying I'll spend some time to look him up.

[Arbo]

Ted Cruz is alive and well after 21 hours of Teabagging. Nice of him to attempt to hold the government hostage while he campaigns for the 2016 GOP presidential bid.

The CR could have been on the presidents desk and signed had the senate just voted to approve it as it was rather than send it back. Cruz's time speaking had zero effect on the process of the bill btw, it wasn't holding up normal Senate activity.

[Arbo]

The house responds...

http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/house-will-vote-plan-keep-government-open-stop-obamacare

They are sending it back with a 1 year delay on the individual mandate, which the (D)'s can't bitch about, because they delayed every thing else in the ACA. So now any 'shutdown' rests in their hands.

[cadet]

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-tumble-worries-govt-shutdown-8C11292579

[glockmail]

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-tumble-worries-govt-shutdown-8C11292579

A buying opportunity. :coffee:

[Arbo]

Update:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/30/shutdown-showdown-senate-kills-house-spending-bill/



The Senate voted Monday afternoon to kill House Republicans’ latest stopgap spending offer, holding firm in their demand that Congress continue to fund Obamacare as part of any government-funding debate.
The 54-46 vote officially tabled both proposals the House GOP passed early Sunday morning, one of which would have funded the government while delaying the health law for a year, and the other of which would have repealed one of the Affordable Care Act’s tax increases.


So the idiots in the Senate are now responsible for a shutdown, as they refuse to delay the individual mandate, and refuse to remove the 'medical device tax' (which will raise costs across the board and put more people out of work).

[cadet]

So here's my opinion on the military not getting paid by the federal gov't during the shutdown.

We should just pull them all back and put them back into state militias like they're supposed to be!
Let the damn states fund em!

[Arbo]

So here's my opinion on the military not getting paid by the federal gov't during the shutdown.

We should just pull them all back and put them back into state militias like they're supposed to be!
Let the damn states fund em!

In theory, sounds good. But a national force is what is needed for defense of the nation, not state level forces. Hell, coordination can be a cluster as it is between national forces, imagine that times 50. It would be the same insanity Washington had to deal with when he was fighting the british and the states were a pain in the ass and not funding things properly.

[glockmail]

It's silly discussing not funding the military, so of course that's what the Democrats will do. There's plenty of money in the till to fund what is constitutionally mandated, just not enough for the 90% of the other crap that we don't need. Shut down the EPA, the Dept. of Education, crap like that.

[Arbo]

What would a shutdown mean?

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/09/a-government-shutdown-primer.php



A shutdown would not affect the delivery of mail or of Social Security and Medicare benefits. The airports would remain up and running with no impact on air safety traffic control. Travel visas and passports would still be issued and our embassies would stay open (barring another terrorist threat that scares President Obama into closing some of them).

Federal courts would operate as usual for about ten days. After that, there would be furloughs, but cases still would be heard. The Food and Drug Administration would continue with federal meat inspections and handle high-risk recalls.

The military would continue to function normally. However, the pay checks of servicemen and women would be delayed. And about half of the Defense Department’s would be furloughed, according to AP.

The VA would continue to offer its services to veterans. Thus, veterans would still be able “to visit hospitals for inpatient care, get mental health counseling at vet centers or get prescriptions filled at VA health clinics.” And “operators would still staff the crisis hotline and claims workers would still process payments to cover disability and pension benefits.”

So what services would be halted or impaired?

All national parks would be closed (I’ve pushed my weekly fall visit to Shenandoah Park up to today). So would the Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo here in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, the high tourist season is over.

On the health front, no new patients would be accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health, but current patients would continue to receive care. Medical research at the NIH would be disrupted. According to AP, “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be severely limited in spotting or investigating disease outbreaks, from flu to that mysterious MERS virus from the Middle East.”

The Head Start program would feel some impact immediately and more as time went on. It’s not clear that, in the short run, any centers would have to close.

Food stamps would still be doled out and school lunches and breakfasts would continued to be served. However, AP says that something called the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children “could shut down.”

The federal loan process would be affected. Action on government-backed loans to small businesses would be suspended (polling shows, however, that a plurality of small business owners favor Republicans in the showdown debate). The Federal Housing Administration, which guarantees about 30 percent of home mortgages, wouldn’t underwrite or approve any new loans during the shutdown. And “many low-to-moderate incomes borrowers and first-time homebuyers seeking government-backed mortgages could face delays.”

[glockmail]

By unanimous consent, the Senate approved HR 3201, the bill passed by the House that would pay the military during a government shutdown.
http://www.c-span.org/Events/House-Debates-Senate-Passed-CR-Current-Bill-Does-Not-Include-Health-Care-Defunding-Provision/10737441638-14/

Yet the Obama says that he won't pay our troops, what a liar.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Ted Cruz is alive and well after 21 hours of Teabagging. Nice of him to attempt to hold the government hostage while he campaigns for the 2016 GOP presidential bid. Only because Obama and his thugs haven't figured out a way to knock him off and get by with it. Yes, I just accused your precious messiah of being very willing to have him killed, me killed or anybody that opposes his traitorous agenda. --Tyr

[cadet]

In theory, sounds good. But a national force is what is needed for defense of the nation, not state level forces. Hell, coordination can be a cluster as it is between national forces, imagine that times 50. It would be the same insanity Washington had to deal with when he was fighting the british and the states were a pain in the ass and not funding things properly.

We're not at a time of conflict.
We should be back to militia's.
The state funded would be easy, due to the military now being able to be expanded across the entire united states. We'd be far more protected than having them over seas.
And washington would NOT deal with them. They're not their responsibility (Unless we're at war). It should be back to a state level thing.

[aboutime]

So here's my opinion on the military not getting paid by the federal gov't during the shutdown.

We should just pull them all back and put them back into state militias like they're supposed to be!
Let the damn states fund em!


cadet. THINK ABOUT THAT! Just WHO would pay to do such a thing as you stated?

And, who would pay them for being in the militia in each state, if not the Federal Govt.?

Do the states PRINT their own money?

[cadet]

cadet. THINK ABOUT THAT! Just WHO would pay to do such a thing as you stated?

And, who would pay them for being in the militia in each state, if not the Federal Govt.?

Do the states PRINT their own money?

Who do you THINK would pay for it?
It's not like we'd get taxed more! They'd just be transferred! Don't you know how the united states is SUPPOSE to work?

[aboutime]

Who do you THINK would pay for it?
It's not like we'd get taxed more! They'd just be transferred! Don't you know how the united states is SUPPOSE to work?


Oh, sure. You mean. Like the Senate, and Harry Reid have been working?

[glockmail]

Ted Cruz is alive and well after 21 hours of Teabagging. .... Here we have a government crisis and all you can think about is homosexual sex. :laugh:

[aboutime]

Here we have a government crisis and all you can think about is homosexual sex. :laugh:



glockmail. How can that be? I thought gabby was a gelding, and had no capacity to Think about anything???:laugh::laugh::laugh:

[glockmail]

glockmail. How can that be? I thought gabby was a gelding, and had no capacity to Think about anything???:laugh::laugh::laugh:
Gelding? Heck no. Gabs has a mattress tied to her back so she can go down at a moments notice. :laugh:

[Arbo]

Getting back on topic...

What would have been a better method in handling this whole situation. As it stand now the (D) have won in the eyes of a good portion of the citizens as polls show Obama's approval going up as well as a move ahead in general polling for the 2014 elections.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/10/defunding-obamacare-a-better-idea.php



Over the last few days, a number of people have suggested a different approach that House Republicans might have taken, and might still take, toward the spending impasse. That is, to break discretionary spending down into a number of separate packages, perhaps corresponding to the various federal agencies, and pass them independently. The House might have begun, for example, by passing a continuing resolution that would fund the Defense Department for 90 days. Then on to the FTC, the Department of Education, and so on. These agencies would all be funded at the level set by the sequester, only, when the bills are all adopted, there would be no money for Obamacare.

That approach would have put much more pressure on Harry Reid and the Democrats in the Senate. They would have had two choices: either pass the spending bills as they were sent them by the House, or ignore the House’s CRs entirely and pass their own omnibus spending bill. That would have sent the competing bills to conference committee to resolve the chambers’ differences.

If the House had proceeded in that fashion, the political landscape would have been entirely different. No one could have accused the Republicans of trying to shut down the government. On the contrary, the House would have passed spending bills that funded all of the government except for Obamacare, and it would be hard for the Democrats to explain why they wouldn’t go along with, for example, a bill that funded the Defense Department. If the Democrats refused to agree to anything other than an omnibus bill that included Obamacare, it would be clear that it is the Democrats, not the Republicans, who are linking Obamacare to other, unrelated areas of the federal budget.