House GOP Takes Big Step to Shut Down Government

House Republicans on Friday made good on their threat to approve legislation to shut down the government beginning Oct. 1, unless the White House and Senate Democrats agree to defund the Affordable Care Act – President Obama’s signature health care law that is set to launch in a matter of weeks.

The measure includes authorization to defund Obamacare in 2014, as part of a GOP effort to bring to its knees a law designed to extend health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.

Republicans have waged an extensive and lengthy campaign to undermine what many Americans say is an unpopular health care law approved by both chambers of Congress in March 2010, and later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Beginning next month, Obamacare is scheduled to open health insurance exchanges that offer subsidized coverage. GOP lawmakers have repeatedly charged that the law would kill jobs, impose onerous requirements and taxes on businesses and individuals, and generally wreak havoc with the economy.

But President Obama and Senate Democratic refuse to bend to the Republicans’ will, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) denounced the GOP efforts to force a government shutdown if they don’t prevail on blocking Obamacare...