Politics

Senate votes to fund government and Obamacare

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday passed a resolution that would fund the government through Nov. 15 and provide funding for Obamacare.

One week ago, the House passed a government funding bill that funded the government through Dec. 15 and defunded Obamacare. Over the vocal and longwinded — 21 hours and 19 minutes to be exact — objections of Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a majority of senators voted to amend the House bill to include funding for the health-care plan, set to be implemented next week.

Senators voted entirely along party lines to amend the bill and then to pass it, with all 54 Democrats voting in favor of amending and passing the new bill and all 44 present Republicans voting against it. Republicans Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake were not present for the votes for family reasons.

The bill now goes back to the Republican-controlled House, which is unlikely to agree to the Democrat-controlled Senate bill as written.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has insisted that the Senate will pass a government funding bill with no attachments, and that he will not negotiate with the House on that issue.

“We want a clean [government funding bill]. That’s what we’re gonna get,” Reid told reporters at a press conference Thursday.

If the two chambers cannot agree on a plan to fund the government before then, the government will shut down on Tuesday.

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