SENATE DEFEATS CRUZ FILIBUSTER, CLEARS WAY FOR OBAMACARE FUNDING Senators from both parties linked arms to defy Sen. Ted Cruz, defeating his attempt to filibuster the stopgap spending bill and clearing the way for it to pass — including full funding for Obamacare — later Friday afternoon. The 79-19 vote saw 25 Republicans join with all Democrats to advance, easily overcoming Mr. Cruz and his allies who had argued this was the key vote in trying to defund President Obama’s health care law. Next up are votes to waive budget rules, to strip out the Obamacare defunding — which Democrats expect to pass on a simple majority vote — and then passage of the bill, which will also only require a majority. At that point the bill would go back to the House, where Republicans are struggling to figure out a path forward. “This is like the movie ‘High Noon. The two sides are walking down the street. I just hope that like the movie ‘High Noon,’ I hope the good guys win,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who accused Mr. Cruz and his allies of being anarchists, hoping to destroy government altogether. He said the country is facing a situation “every bit as dangerous” as the lead-up to the Civil War. For Republicans, the rhetoric was more muted but the vote was no less weighty. “Do we just give up?” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican who joined Mr. Cruz’s push to block the spending bill. Without any action, the government’s authority for basic spending expires at midnight Monday, and operations such as school funding and national parks would have to cease. The House has passed a bill to fund government through Dec. 15 but to withhold any money for Obamacare. If all goes according to Senate Democrats’ plans, they will pass their own bill that funds government through Nov. 15 and restores money for the health care law. Democrats have structured the votes in a way that’s left Republicans bitterly divided over a message, and fighting over how far they are willing to go in standing against the Affordable Care Act — including the possibility of shutting the government down. Mr. Cruz and his allies argued that if all Republicans stood together, they could successfully filibuster the bill, which would force Democrats to have to compromise and halt Obamacare funding or else face a government shutdown.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 19:17:17 +0000
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