Senate Torpedoes House Bid to Defund ObamaCare

The Senate has voted 54 to 46 to reject House amendments to the continuing resolution—including the one that would delay ObamaCare. The vote split evenly along party lines, and increases the odds of a government shutdown, the Washington Post reports. As Slate points out, this is the second time in as many weeks that the House and Senate have recited this play; the Senate last week stripped out a provision that would have defunded ObamaCare entirely. Now, it's Boehner's move once more.

Earlier today, President Obama said he was "not at all resigned" to a shutdown, and urged lawmakers to "set aside the short-term politics" and make a deal, the Hill reports. The shutdown hits at midnight unless something is done to stop it. Senate Republicans have been floating the idea of passing a quick, one-week extension to give the sides more time to negotiate, but Harry Reid says he strongly opposes it. Budget Chair Patty Murray agreed, asking, "Why go through this for another five days?" (More ObamaCare stories.)