Statement on Second House Vote to Prevent a Government Shutdown

Statement

"Last night, the House voted to keep the federal government open and delay Obamacare for one year, giving hardworking citizens the same protection from this unworkable law that has already been granted to big business. The House legislation also permanently repeals Obamacare's tax on medical devices such as defibrillators and pacemakers, a tax opposed by Republicans and Democrats which will increase already skyrocketing health care costs and send jobs overseas. Finally, the House bill ensures that our troops get paid under any circumstance.

At a rally Friday, President Obama criticized Republicans for trying to delay Obamacare - just days after his administration announced it was delaying yet another part of Obamacare. The non-partisan Congressional Research Service has reported that the administration has already missed half of Obamacare's legally imposed deadlines and the president has already signed seven bills repealing or defunding parts of the law.

Rather than comparing Republicans to suicide bombers, as one of his senior advisors did this week, President Obama and Senate Democrats should work in good faith with the House to delay a law that is clearly not ready for implementation, keep the government open and work together to lay the ground work for a healthy economy that creates more job opportunities for all Americans and confronts our unsustainable debt crisis so that we can guarantee that critical programs like Social Security and Medicare continue to exist for current and future generations."

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