Obama: ‘This Republican Shutdown Did Not Have To Happen’

President Obama said Tuesday that House Republicans had forced the government shutdown by demanding changes to Obamacare in exchange for funding the government.

“One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the government all because they didn’t like one law,” Obama said. “They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny afford health insurance to millions of Americans. They demanded ransom just for doing their job.”