On the 15th day of the government shutdown Senators were hopeful that they had crafted a deal that could end both the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling before the Oct. 17 deadline only to have their hopes soured by word that House Republicans were working on a bill of their own, according to Reuters.
The primary point of contention during discussions leading into the shutdown has been funding for the Affordable Care Act; Republicans won't pass a continuing resolution that doesn't defund the health care reform law while Democrats won't pass a CR that touches the law in any way.
The Senate plan would make minor changes to the Affordable Care Act that Democrats appear willing to accept, House Republicans believe that the Senate plan doesn't do nearly enough to alter President Barack Obama's signature piece of legislation and have drawn up a plan that will alter the law far more. The House plan would delay a tax on medical devices for two years and remove subsidies for health care coverage for members of Congress but not for Congressional staffers, according to the New York Times.
Many Republicans in the House do not want to raise the debt ceiling at all so it remains to be seen if their bill will even be able to gain enough support.
"I would say there are sincere, deep thoughts of concern," Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., told the New York Times. "Right now, the fight is whether we stand our ground."
Democrats in the House were incredibly critical of the plan being pursued by the Republicans; the bill is likely to not receive any votes from Democrats and it will be interesting to see if enough Republicans support it to pass since it appears to be destined for failure in the Senate, USA Today reports.
"GOP's latest plan is designed to torpedo the bipartisan (Senate) solution," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., tweeted. "Plan is not only reckless, it's tantamount to default."
House Republicans were just as adamant speaking against the Senate plan.
"We've got a name for it in the House: it's called the Senate surrender caucus," Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., told the New York Times. "Anybody who would vote for that in the House as a Republican would virtually guarantee a primary challenger."
Time is running out for Congress to come to a deal. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has estimated that the United States will run out of money to pay its bills on time by Thursday, according to USA Today.
