House lawmakers have postponed today's scheduled vote on a spending bill for at least a week in light of Republican leaders' failure to gather enough votes to approve the legislation, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Conservative lawmakers are demanding that any spending bill include a provision to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the report. Earlier this week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) put forth a plan that would involve sending the Senate a stopgap spending bill along with a separate resolution to defund the healthcare reform law that would amend the spending bill. This would allow a vote on defunding the PPACA, but the Senate could choose to pass only the spending bill and reject the resolution that would halt the reform law's implementation.
The plan has drawn criticism, with national conservative network Club for Growth President Chris Chocola calling it an effort to "fool Republicans into voting to fund Obamacare." Some rank-and-file Republicans have made it clear they won't accept Rep. Boehner's strategy, according to the report.
In July, Republican lawmakers asked leaders in both the House and Senate to not support a government funding bill unless it defunds the PPACA. Additionally, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) stated this summer that a coalition of senators is willing to shut down the government to prevent the health reform law from taking effect. Congress must pass a funding measure by Oct. 1 to prevent a government shutdown.
GOP lawmakers are also attempting the stop the PPACA from taking further affect through measures other than the spending bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed an amendment to an energy efficiency bill Wednesday to delay the reform law's individual mandate for one year and codify the Obama administration's one-year delay of the employer mandate, according to a report from The Hill.
More Articles on PPACA Opposition:
Republicans Could Revive Old Strategy on PPACA With Stopgap Bill
Republicans Call For Bill Defunding PPACA
Poll Finds Voters Oppose Government Shutdown Over PPACA