There are now reportedly a total of 20 House Republicans ready to throw in the towel in the current battle over Obamacare in order to end the first government shutdown in 17 years. As TheBlaze reported on Tuesday, Democrats needs just 17 GOP lawmakers to defect from the majority of Republicans in the House to pass a "clean" continuing resolution that fully funds both Obamacare and the federal government.
"If all 200 Democrats stick together and team up with those Republicans, they have the votes to pass a clean funding bill," the Huffington Post reports.
However, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would still have to bring the bill to the floor in order for a vote to take place. In other words, he's the only person standing in the way of Democrats getting exactly what they have wanted all along.
US House Speaker John Boehner speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington on October 1, 2013. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
It was recently revealed that Boehner's chief of staff Mike Sommers may have worked with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to exempt Congress from Obamacare, further diminishing the Ohio Republican's support among conservatives.
The Huffington Post has updated its list of House Republicans who are ready to give in to the Democrats' demands:
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.): “At this point, I believe it’s time for the House to vote for a clean, short-term funding bill to bring the Senate to the table and negotiate a responsible compromise.” [Press Release, 10/1/13]Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.): “Time for a clean [continuing resolution].” [Official Twitter, 10/1/13]
Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.): “Enough is enough. Put a clean [continuing resolution] on the floor and let’s get on with the business we were sent to do." [Burlington County Times, 10/1/13]
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.): A Fitzpatrick aide tells the Philadelphia Inquirer the congressman would support a clean funding bill if it came up for a vote. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/1/13]
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.): Barletta said he would "absolutely" vote for a clean bill in order to avert a shut down of the government. [Bethlehem Morning Call, 10/1/13]
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.): King thinks House Republicans would prefer to avoid a shutdown and said he will only vote for a clean continuing resolution to fund the government, according to the National Review Online. [NRO, 9/30/13]
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.): The California Republican told The Huffington Post he would ultimately support a clean continuing resolution. [Tweet by The Huffington Post's Sabrina Siddiqui, 9/30/13]
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.): “I'm prepared to vote for a clean [continuing resolution].” [The Huffington Post, 9/29/13]
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.): A Wolf aide told The Hill that he agrees with fellow Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell (R) that it's time for a clean continuing resolution. [The Hill, 10/1/13]
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.): A Grimm aide told The Huffington Post that the congressman supports a clean continuing resolution. [10/1/13].
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.): A local news anchor in Minnesota tweeted that Paulsen told him he would vote for a clean resolution if given the chance. [Blake McCoy Tweet, 10/1/13]
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.): A constituent of Wittman's sent The Huffington Post an email she got from the congressman indicating he would vote for a clean funding bill but hasn't had "an opportunity to do so at this point." [10/1/13]
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.): LoBiondo told The Press of Atlantic City he'll support "whatever gets a successful conclusion" to the shutdown and a clean funding bill "is one of those options." [The Press of Atlantic City, 10/1/13]
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.): Forbes told The Virginian-Pilot that he supports the six-week clean funding bill that passed in the Senate. [The Virginian-Pilot, 10/2/13]
[Editor's note: Congressman Forbes' office contacted TheBlaze and argued the Virginia-Pilot's report on the Republican's CR position is "misleading at best" and provided a statement, which they say better articulates his stance:
“I hate Obamacare and I hate what the shutdown is doing to families across Virginia. Here’s my plan to address both: I am calling on the House to pass a funding measure to reopen all areas of the government except for the Internal Revenue Service. Not one penny for the IRS,” said Forbes. “The Internal Revenue Service is the teeth of Obamacare. Under the health care law, the IRS is undergoing massive expansions to hire new agents and enforce 47 new tax provisions. If we defund the IRS, we defund Obamacare."]
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.): The congressman issued a statement saying he would "vote in favor of a so-called clean budget bill." [Office of Rep. Jim Gerlach, 10/2/13].
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.): Lance's chief of staff confirmed to The Huffington Post that he told a constituent on Wednesday that Lance has voted for clean government funding bills in the past "and would not oppose doing so again should one be brought to the floor." [10/2/13]
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho): Simpson told a Roll Call reporter Tuesday night, "I'd vote for a clean CR because I don't think this is a strategy that works." [Daniel Newhauser Tweet, 10/1/13]
Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.): Young told Tampa Bay Times reporter Alex Leary that he's ready to vote for a clean funding bill. "The politics should be over," he said. "It's time to legislate." [Alex Leary Tweet, 10/2/13]
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.): The congressman told Miami Herald reporter Marc Caputo that he would vote for a clean funding bill, provided it has the same funding levels contained in the Senate-passed bill. [The Miami Herald, 10/2/13]
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.): "I would take a clean (continuing resolution)." [Observer-Dispatch, 10/2/13]
House Speaker Boehner's office cast a Wednesday White House invitation as a sign President Barack Obama might be backing down.
"We're pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said. "It's unclear why we'd be having this meeting if it's not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties."
Reid, for his part, offered a new round of budget talks to House Republicans if they allow the government to reopen.
He proposed that the talks occur on a nonbinding measure known as a budget resolution that can serve as a template for follow-up legislation on the budget. Democrats have been pressing for official negotiations on the budget resolution for some time, but Republicans have resisted, saying they won't give any ground on taxes.
Boehner rejected Reid's offer, said spokesman Michael Steel.
Do you think Boehner will stand firm against Democrats?
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story has been updated.
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