By CNN’s Dana Davidsen
(CNN) — On Day Six of the government shutdown, House Speaker John Boehner said it’s time for his party to “stand and fight” against the Affordable Care Act.
In the midst of the fight to fund the government, and with a potential debt ceiling crisis looming in less than two weeks, Boehner stood firm with his party Sunday, saying he did not have the votes in his chamber to pass a “clean” spending bill that excludes amendments to President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care law.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Saturday that she has 195 House Democrats who would support a resolution in line with a budget that has received support from 21 House Republicans.
Though Boehner offered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a bill in July that would have funded the government without defunding or delaying Obamacare, he has since retracted that offer.
“I and my members decided the threat of Obamacare and what was happening was so important that it was time for us to take a stand. And we took a stand,” the Ohio Republican said, appearing on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I, working with my members, decided to do this in a unified way,” he said.
“I have 233 Republicans in the House. And you’ve never seen a more dedicated group of people who are thoroughly concerned about the future of our country. They believe that Obamacare, all these regulations coming out of the administration, are threatening the future for our kids and our grandkids. It is time for us to stand and fight.”
“This fight was going to come, one way or another. We’re in the fight. We don’t want to shut the government down,” Boehner said, pointing to a series of piecemeal bills the House has passed to fund certain parts of the government, but that the Democratic-controlled Senate refuses to take up.
If Congress fails to pass a bill raising the debt ceiling by the October 17 deadline, the government will not be able to pay the bills it has already incurred, causing potential economic instability both domestically and abroad.
Boehner characterized Reid’s mentality on negotiating a deal as “my way or the highway.”
“That’s what he’s saying. Complete surrender and then we’ll talk to you.”
The-CNN-Wire
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