Government shutdown looms as House GOP attempts Obamacare delay

With the Senate having stripped the Obamacare defunding language from the House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government, House Republicans have regrouped and will send another measure to the Senate with the intention of delaying the Obamacare individual mandate and employer mandate. Speaker Boehner and President Obama have both drawn lines in the sand, so to speak, regarding what kind of continuing resolution they’re willing to endorse. In Boehner’s case, he’s looking to at least limit some effects of Obamacare while the President says he’ll accept nothing less than full funding and implementation of his signature health care initiative.

Report from Politico:

House Republicans will vote to pass a one-year delay of Obamacare in exchange for funding the government, a plan that drastically increases the chances of a government shutdown this Tuesday.

The decision was announced by the GOP leadership in a closed meeting Saturday afternoon, according to sources present. Republicans will also pass a separate bill to fund U.S. troops if the government shuts down, GOP lawmakers said. The House’s funding measure will keep the government open until mid-December.

Additionally, Republicans will adopt a “conscience clause” that delays until 2015 an Obamacare requirement that employers cover birth control as part of their health-insurance packages.

The move puts Senate Democrats and the White House at loggerheads with House Republicans, a standoff that could lead to the first government shutdown since 1995.

The House has already passed two measures which fund the entirety of the government but have either tried to delay or withhold funding from parts of Obamacare. The Senate has voted to fund the government as well but their continuing resolution included funding for Obamacare. The President, for his part, has vowed to let the government shutdown by pledging to veto any legislation which reaches his desk and does not fully fund and implement Obamacare.

Which side is going to blink first in this debate? If the government shuts down, which side stands to gain and/or lose? Where does the blame get assigned?