House Republican leadership could be trying to figure out some constructive way to keep the government from shutting down in two week, an effort that so far they
can't even get their own caucus to agree to. So instead, they're spending their time trying to figure out how to
screw the Senate Democrats. Because that's what's most important.
House Republicans may force Senate Democrats to take a tough vote on subjecting lawmakers and congressional staff to ordinary treatment under ObamaCare in exchange for funding government beyond September.
The goal would be to inflict maximum political damage on Senate Democrats if they refuse to delay the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. [...]
If Boehner chooses this option, Democrats would have to vote to either to give Congress special treatment under ObamaCare—a politically unpopular move—or delay the implementation of the controversial law before getting a chance to consider the government-funding bill.
Remember why Congress is in the exchanges in the first place? Because Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley was trying to screw Democrats by offering it as an amendment in committee. He was sure that Democrats wouldn't want to have to be a part of the system they were creating. Instead of being embarrassed by it, Democrats embraced it. Of course, it was a poorly-written amendment, so it had to be fixed by new regulations from the Office of Personnel Management, and now those regulations are under attack. Because of the reality of how Congress works, often moving staff from congressional to political positions, and from personal to committee staff positions, OPM determined that it should be up to individual congressional offices to decide whether, and which, staff may be exempted. That's the "special treatment" Republicans are targeting.
Reality be damned, if there's an opportunity to play games over Obamacare. Meanwhile, the government has to be funded by October 1, or it shuts down.
Stand with Daily Kos and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in denouncing Republicans who would completely shut down the government just to destroy Obamacare.