After House Republicans voted Friday to fund the government but defund Obamacare, they called on Senate Republicans to take up the fight in their chamber.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), who has described shutting down the government over Obamacare as a “suicidal political tactic,” told TPM that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other vocal proponents of the defund Obamacare push have now “got the fight they asked for.”
“Our senators have been asking us to get this, several of them, so we’re going to see what they can do. They’ve got it now,” Cole said. “They’ve got the fight they asked for. We’ve shown that we can deliver and hopefully they’ll do the same.”
House GOP leaders urged Senate Republicans to stand firm, even though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said that the House bill is “dead” in that chamber.
“You know many Senate Republicans have promised to leave no stone unturned following this bill, and all of us here support that effort,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said at a rally following the Friday vote.
The day before, Speaker John Boehner had placed the onus on Cruz and other Senate Republicans.
“The fight here has been won. The fight over there is just beginning,” Boehner told reporters Thursday. “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.”
