Reid: Senate Will Reject One-Year Health Care Delay, Medical Device Tax

[flowers]

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/09/28/reid-senate-will-reject-one-year-health-care-delay-medical-device-tax/tab/comments/

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) on Saturday rejected a House Republican plan to avoid a government shutdown, declaring it “pointless’’ for the House to vote later Saturday on tying a one-year delay in the new federal health care law to legislation funding federal agencies.

Mr. Reid also said the Senate would not accept a House measure repealing a tax on medical devices imposed by the new health law. House lawmakers this evening will vote on whether to attach the tax repeal and the health-law delay to legislation funding the government through Dec. 15.

“To be absolutely clear, the Senate will reject both the one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act and the repeal of the medical device tax,’’ said Mr. Reid.

“After weeks of futile political games from Republicans, we are still at square one: Republicans must decide whether to pass the Senate’s clean CR, or force a Republican government shutdown,’’ he said in a written statement, referring to a short-term bill to fund federal agencies that cleared the Senate on Friday.

Mr. Reid had said Friday that the Senate would not reconvene until Monday afternoon, just hours before the midnight deadline for passing a government funding bill. His statement gave no indication of any plan to bring the Senate back sooner, or of how the Senate would handle whatever bill the House passes.

Federal agencies will have to suspend non-essential services and furlough employees if Congress does not pass a spending bill by midnight Monday. The new fiscal year starts on Tuesday.

House GOP leaders earlier Saturday announced they would hold a vote today on a  bill that would extend government spending until Dec. 15 — one month longer than the bill passed Friday by the Senate — and add amendments to delay for one year the health care law and repeal the medical device taxes. The House also plans to vote on legislation that would guarantee that, in event of a partial government shutdown beginning Tuesday, members of the military would continue to get paid.

[sinkspur]

Let the PR machines kick into gear.  Who will the public hold responsible for shutting down the government, how painful will Obama make it,  and  how long will it go on before the GOP cracks?

You all know, don't you, that Obama is going to blame any glitches on Obamacare on Republicans shutting down the government.  In fact, he's going to do all he can to make Obamacare's implementation a Republican problem.