By In order to avoid a possible government shutdown, the House of Represenatives has passed a spending bill that would defund the Affordable Care Act, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to USA Today, a spending bill is needed to avoid a possible government shutdown on Sept. 30.
If a compromise cannot be reached by both parties, national parks, monuments and government agencies would close, according to USA Today.
Approved by a majority of conservative lawmakers, the House spending bill has attracted some fans and some critics.
“The American people don’t want the government shut down, and they don’t want Obamacare,” Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) said to CNN. “Now it’s time for the United States Senate to listen to them as well.”
One of the bill’s main detractors, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), disagreed.
“In case there’s any shred of doubt in the minds of our House counterparts, I want to be absolutely crystal clear: Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead, dead,” Reid said, according to the LA Times.
While we are unsure if the Affordable Care Act will live up to its expectations, we are opposed to the Republicans’ latest attempt to use it as a bargaining chip.
It’s ridiculous that lawmakers in Congress have not yet resolved the government’s spending habits. Waiting until this time to discuss budget cuts before a looming government shutdown is irresponsible.
For years, both parties have argued about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Instead of bickering about a law that was signed by Obama in 2010, lawmakers should focus their energies on making cuts in other areas to keep the government running.
With Reid’s statement, it’s clear that the bill approved by the House will be dead on arrival when it comes to the Senate.
We hope lawmakers will come to some sort of agreement to avoid a government shutdown but we wonder if a bipartisan bill can even be approved at this point.
If the House and Senate cannot agree on a spending bill and the government shuts down, it will hurt those dependent on government services.
In response to the preliminary Republican spending bill, President Barack Obama said, “This is not a deadbeat nation.” He added to his comments by telling CNN, “You gotta pay for what Congress already said we’re spending money on.”
It seems as though politics have never been more polarized than now.
Partisan bickering should be sacrificed for the sake of the U.S.
With respect to the Affordable Care Act, it’s foolish to try to defund it for the more than forty-second time.
National and state organizations like Covered California have already prepared for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Threatening to defund the Affordable Care Act would hurt many Americans who are already prepared for its implemenation next year.
It’s not fair when lawmakers bicker in Congress, and we are left with the consequences of their actions.
