After a day of sniping between House and Senate Republicans over defunding Obamacare, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he expects the Senate GOP to be ready for a fight.
“I expect my Senate colleagues to be up for the battle,” Boehner told reporters.
The House will pass a government spending bill that defunds the health care reform law on Friday, Boehner said. Senate Democrats won’t pass it, but Boehner urged Senate Republicans to use whatever means at their disposal to force a defunding measure through that chamber.
“The fight here has been won. The fight over there is just beginning,” Boehner said. “I expect my Senate colleagues to do everything they can to stop this law. It’s time for them to pick up the mantle and get the job done.”
The House GOP leadership has been deeply irritated with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) for stoking anti-Obamcare sentiment among conservatives and increasing the pressure on the House to vote to defund Obamacare, even as the bill faced certain defeat in the Senate. Boehner’s comments, like those reportedly coming from other House Republicans, reflects an effort to put the burden for what happens next firmly on Cruz and Lee.
