With gov't. shutdown looming, GOP rift over Obamacare stalls budget bill

House Republican leaders delayed a vote Wednesday on the stopgap funding measure that would have kept the federal government financed until mid-December after conservatives balked because it didn't explicitly end funding for the health care law.

The New York Times' The Caucus: House G.O.P. Delays Vote On Stopgap Budget Measure
Facing another revolt by the House's most ardent conservatives, Republican leaders scrapped a vote this week on legislation that would keep the federal government financed through mid-December while ending financing for President Obama's health care law. The leaders say they will bring the measure up next week, but with just a handful of legislative days left until a government shutdown, Republicans are in a squeeze (Weisman, 9/11).

The Washington Post: House Republican Leaders Delay Vote On Budget Bill Until Next Week
With a government shutdown looming in less than three weeks, Republican House leaders conceded Wednesday that they have yet to muster enough votes to approve a plan to keep federal agencies open. A vote on the measure, set for Thursday, was postponed until at least next week after conservatives balked, demanding that any deal to fund the government include a provision to cut off funding for President Obama's signature health-care initiative (Kane, 9/11).

Los Angeles Times: GOP Split Over Healthcare Law Boosts Threat Of Government Shutdown
In the midst of an international crisis, the prospect of a government shutdown intensified Wednesday as House conservatives balked at Republican leaders' efforts to pass a spending bill that did not explicitly eliminate funds for President Obama's healthcare law (Mascaro, 9/11).

The Wall Street Journal: House Delays Vote On Funding Measure
A brewing rebellion among conservatives caused House Republican leaders to delay plans to vote this week on legislation that would fund government operations through mid-December but stop funding of the federal health-care overhaul. The decision comes as conservatives who want to undo the Affordable Care Act ramped up their opposition just before a major component of the law was set to go live, casting doubt on congressional efforts to keep the government open this fall without a big political fight (Boles, 9/11).

Politico: GOP's Obamacare Quandary
Senate Republicans still haven't figured out how to defund Obamacare and keep funding the government. Competing factions of the party are arguing over just how aggressive they should be in seeking to dismantle the health care law (Everett, 9/12).

CBS News: GOP Rift Over Anti-Obamacare Strategy Stalls Budget Bill
For the past week, debate over Syria has overwhelmed Capitol Hill -- even though Congress has just about two weeks left to pass a budget bill before the federal government partially shuts down. Democratic and Republican leaders are meeting Thursday morning to discuss the looming budget issues, but before the two parties forge a path forward, the GOP may have to sort out its own issues. The Republican-led House had planned to vote this week on a bill to temporarily fund the government (referred to as a continuing resolution, or CR), but the vote was delayed Wednesday because Republicans divisions over its anti-Obamacare strategy (Condon, Budich, 9/12).

CNN: House GOP Leaders Delay Vote On Spending Bill After Conservatives Rebel
House Republican leaders postponed a vote on government funding legislation until next week after many conservatives made it clear they wouldn't back it because it doesn't fully defund Obamacare. The government will shut down if Congress does not approve a new annual spending plan by October 1, the start of the new federal budget year (Walsh, 9/11).

Fox News: House Pulls Spending Bill Amid Backlash As Government Shutdown Looms
House Republican leaders pulled their plan Wednesday to temporarily fund the federal government after rank-and-file party members said it sidestepped "defunding" ObamaCare.The action further narrowed Congress' time to strike a budget deal before an Oct. 1 government shutdown. House Speaker John Boehner and his team pulled the plan, which could have gotten a full chamber vote as early as Thursday, after a conservative backlash led by the Tea Party movement and Heritage Action for America (Fox News, 9/12).

Meanwhile, a new CNN/ORC International poll shows public opposition to the law mounting --

Politico: Poll: Obamacare Opposition Climbs
More than half of Americans oppose most or all of the proposals in Obamacare, a sharp increase in opposition to the healthcare law from earlier this year, according to a new poll Wednesday. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they opposed most or all of the proposals in the law, while just 39 percent favored most or all of the law, according to a CNN/ORC International poll. The opposition rose from 44 percent in similar survey in January, while the support for President Obama's signature healthcare law dropped from 51 percent (Arkin, 9/11)