In a Thursday call with members of his party, House Speaker John Boehner reiterated that his chamber would move quickly when Congress reconvenes to pass a continuing resolution that would avoid a government shutdown but prolong sequestration.
The short-term resolution would keep the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration in place.
“The president is desperate to get rid of the sequester… so desperate that he says he’ll shut down the government if Congress follows the law and funds the government at the levels his sequester mandates,” Boehner said, according to an account from someone on the call. “The president’s threat to shut down the government if we implement his sequester is not a defensible position. The American people won’t stand for it, and we’re not going to be swayed by it.”
A House GOP aide noted that no final decision has been made about whether defunding Obamacare, a rallying cry for some conservatives during the August recess, would be tied to the resolution. The White House has repeatedly said that stripping funding for the health care reform law would be a non-starter in budget negotiations.
Boehner did indicate, however, that the House would push for further delays to the law’s provisions.
