Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expressed sympathy Thursday for House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who continues to face calls from a noisy conservative caucus to gut Obamacare.
The two were involved in fiscal talks between congressional leaders and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in an effort to avoid a government shutdown. According to the New York Times, Democrats and Lew “made it clear to the speaker that they would never accept Republican demands to repeal, defund or delay Mr. Obama’s signature health care law.”
“I had to be very candid with him and I told him directly, all these things they’re doing on Obamacare are just a waste of their time,” Reid said, as quoted by the Times. “Their direction is the direction toward shutting down the government.”
Reid added, “I like John Boehner. I do feel sorry for him.”
As TPM reported Friday, the right-wing dream to defund or delay Obamacare is threatening the GOP leadership’s ability to land a favorable deal on spending.