DEM SENATE AIDE: Republicans' New Plan To Defund Obamacare Is Dead On Arrival
"I would say that there is a reason House Republican leaders didn't do this in the first place, which is that there's no chance in hell it passes the Senate," the Senate aide said in an email.
"It's just a waste of time. The House will eventually have to pass a clean CR or Republicans will shut down the government."
Republicans' new strategy, according to National Review's Robert Costa, is bending to the wishes of conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who are insisting that any bill to keep the government funded must also defund Obamacare.
With only four working days left before Sept. 30, it seems likely that if they adopt this new plan, Republicans would be willing to shut down the government. It's possible that Congress could cancel its planned recess, but there are also only 13 days left before the end of the month.
Costa adds a crucial disclaimer to his report: It is very unlikely that the Senate passes anything that defunds Obamacare, and "many House Republican insiders say a 'Plan B' may be needed." So it's up to Cruz to turn what has been a conservative movement thus far into broad pressure on the Senate.