Labrador: Obama to blame in budget crisis

Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador blamed a potential federal government shutdown next month on what he sees as President Barack Obama’s unwillingness to delay the health care reform law’s further implementation.

With a shutdown, there “wouldn’t be a significant change” visible to most Americans, the Republican said in a Tuesday interview.

A shutdown is possible at the end of this month because the U.S. House and Senate can’t agree on a budget bill for continued government funding. The two houses are battling over funding for the Affordable Care Act, known commonly as Obamacare.

A recent House version of a proposed stopgap budget, known as a “continuing resolution,” includes an item that would defund Obamacare. The measure isn’t expected to go anywhere in the Democratic controlled Senate.”

So if the Senate strips the defunding provision out of the House budget, Labrador said a delay of Obamacare would be a great compromise.

Labrador said linking funding of the federal government to the Obamacare fight is critical, even though it creates another last-minute budget battle.

“I am not in favor of shutting down the government, (and) I don’t know any Republican who is in favor of shutting down the government,” he said.

He added, “All we want to make sure is that we protect the American people from what I think are the ravages of Obamacare.”

He said the law creates another entitlement program, and pointed out that such programs are the primary drivers of U.S. debt. He said people won’t like it, but they’ll get used to it because of “freebies,” and it will become permanent.

“Historically, there’s never been an entitlement program that has been taken away,” Labrador said.

He pointed out there have been past government shutdowns, and “it’s not the end of the world.”

If there is a government shutdown, members of Congress continue to be paid.

“It’s not like the whole government shuts down,” he said. “Most essential things that need to happen for government, they will continue to happen.”

Government employees, including the military, got paid during previous federal government shutdowns, though some not immediately, he said.