GOP Readies Plan To Fund Gov’t, Force Dems To Vote On Defunding Obamacare

House Republicans are planning to help pass a stopgap measure funding the federal government, but they also plan to force Democrats in the Senate to vote on defunding the health law in the process.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: House GOP May Link Debate Of Stopgap Spending Bill With Measure To Defund 'Obamacare'
House Republicans plan to condition a short-term spending bill for averting a government shutdown next month on making Senate Democrats vote on -- but not necessarily pass -- a tea party-backed plan to dismantle President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The move would be a partial victory for conservatives demanding a House vote to "defund 'Obamacare'" as part of any must-pass stopgap funding bill. But GOP leaders are employing an unusual procedural trick to make sure that the tea party measure doesn't get in the way of smooth passage of a straightforward stopgap funding bill before the Oct. 1 start of the new budget year (Taylor, 9/9).

Bloomberg: House Leaders May Pair Stopgap Funding With Health Vote
House Republican leaders put together a plan to enact a stopgap government funding measure by forcing the Democratic-led Senate to take a largely symbolic vote on defunding President Barack Obama’s health care law. The proposal, which two leadership aides said would be presented to rank-and-file House Republicans today, would allow a short-term U.S. spending measure to be enacted even if the Senate voted not to strip funding from the Affordable Care Act (Tiron and Rowley, 9/10).

The Wall Street Journal: House Republicans Craft Proposal To Avoid Shutdown
House Republicans on Monday prepared a plan to avoid a government shutdown this fall, while giving conservatives a fresh chance to attack President Barack Obama's signature health-care law. The proposal, to be presented to rank-and-file lawmakers as early as Tuesday, is an attempt by GOP leaders to fund government operations until mid-December and meet a key demand of conservative House Republicans, who have wanted to use a must-pass spending bill to take aim at the health care law they continue to oppose (Boles, 9/9).

Politico: House GOP May Reuse Legislative Gambit On Obamacare
House Republicans are dusting off an old legislative gambit from April 2011 as one way to move ahead this week with a stopgap spending bill for the first months of the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The goal is to give conservatives a vote on defunding health care reform without resulting in a government shutdown. It has worked before, but "before" is the operative word. And until Tuesday's Republican Conference, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) won’t really know whether this flash from the past can flash again (Rogers, 9/10).

But consideration of defunding may have to wait while lawmakers consider action against Syria --

Politico: Obamacare Defunding Pushed Aside By Syria
Congress’s curtain came down for summer break with Obamacare defunding center stage. But as the curtain goes back up as lawmakers return, it's Syria -- not defunding -- in the spotlight. At noon Tuesday, some of Obamacare's most ardent foes -- Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah among them -- will hold a Tea Party Patriots-sponsored rally outside the Capitol to try to reignite the defunding enthusiasm. Time is short: Obamacare enrollment starts Oct. 1 (Cunningham, 9/10).

And Heritage Action pushes for Republicans to refuse to vote for any spending authorization that doesn't also defund the health law --

Los Angeles Times: Conservative Group Pushes Its Plan To Cripple Health Care Overhaul
With funding for government operations set to run out at the end of this month, Heritage Action, part of a coalition of conservative lawmakers and outside groups, wants Republicans to refuse to vote for a law that would authorize spending unless it also eliminates money for the health care law, a move that would hobble the Obama administration's efforts to launch Web-based insurance marketplaces Oct. 1 (Memoli, 9/9).