Thank You House, Now The Defund Effort Moves To The Senate

By a bipartisan vote of 230-189, the U.S. House today passed a historic Continuing Resolution which funds the entire federal government except Obamacare. By voting to fund the government but defund this unpopular, unworkable, and unfair law, two Democrats and the Republicans agreed with most of the American people who disapprove of Obamacare and its sickening side effects.

The unhinged rhetoric from the left was dizzy and juvenile. For simply pushing to defund the economy-stifling health care law, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid referred to conservatives as “anarchists.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Republicans “legislative arsonists.” And moments before today’s vote, House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer referred to the Republican’s effort as a “blatant act of hostage taking.” Such dangerous rhetoric does nothing to assist the millions of Americans who are already seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket while their employers are forced to reduce their work hours.

As Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana opined in USA Today, “This isn’t about threatening a shutdown. This is about stopping the pain every American will feel. It’s time for the Senate to side with the American people as well.”

Now the defund effort lands squarely in the United States Senate. Democrat Senators Pryor, Begich, Landrieu, and Hagan will all have to consider how this disastrous law negatively impacts their states. The choice is clear to these four Senators, they can either stand with an ill-conceived law and a floundering president or stand with those who want to find a way to fix our healthcare system the right way.

We are less than two weeks away from when Obamacare’s state insurance exchanges are scheduled to begin. If this job-killing, privacy-infringing law is not stopped now, it will be too late. Citizens United urges all Senators to support funding the government while defunding Obamacare.