Neither of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators want to see a federal government shutdown, but they remain divided on Obamacare. “I do not want to play brinksmanship,” Republican Senator Ron Johnson said in an interview with WRN on Thursday. “I don’t care who’s in the White House, I want to see this economy succeed.”
On the floor Thursday, Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin accused House Republicans and some GOP Senators of playing political games. “A minority of extremists are intent on threatening our economic recovery, with brinksmanship meant to appeal to narrow political interests,” she said. “Senate Democrats have a plan to keep the government running, while assuring that millions of Americans don’t lose access to affordable health care.”
Johnson would prefer to see implementation of the Affordable Care Act delayed, or at provisions within the law repealed. “I really hope Wisconsinites are watching very closely over the next couple of weeks the dysfunction that is the federal government, recognizing that the federal government is now going to be taking over a larger and larger share of your health care system. I don’t think that’s going to go very well.”
The Senate is now expected to approve a stripped-down government-funding bill Friday and send it back to the House, where its fate is unclear.