Obama to Republicans: Reopen the government

President Obama urged congressional Republicans on Tuesday to reopen the government, saying the longer the shutdown continues, the greater the damage to the economy.

"More families will be hurt — more businesses will be harmed," Obama said after meeting with supporters about the program at the heart of the Washington budget dispute, the health care law.

Obama blamed the GOP for what he called "the Republican shutdown" that began at midnight Monday, saying some party members are waging an "ideological crusade" against the new health care law.
Obama also warned Republicans to raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling that the government expects to hit Oct. 17, saying that failure to do so would lead to "an economic shutdown."

The president spoke after meeting with people who have signed up for the health care marketplace exchanges that came online Tuesday.

Calling it an "historic day" for health care, Obama said the exchanges will allow uninsured Americans to buy coverage at reasonable prices.

Large swaths of the government closed down at midnight after the Republican House and Democratic Senate failed to agree on a new spending plan for the new fiscal year that began Tuesday.
Most Republicans support a plan that would delay parts of the health care plan by a year. Obama and Democrats say that is a non-starter, and the GOP is trying to use the budget to gut the health care plan.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, criticized Senate Democrats for refusing to negotiate on the two plans, saying they "slammed the door" on reopening parts of the government. Boehner said, "We hope that Senate Democrats — and President Obama — change course and start working with us on behalf of the American people."

While some Republicans try to roll back the health care plan, Obama used his speech to emphasize that "a big part of the Affordable Care Act is now open for business" — the new market exchanges.
Already funded, the exchanges are not subject to the shutdown. Obama said they force insurance companies to compete for business, lowering prices for previously uninsured Americans.

Earlier in the morning, the president met with people who have signed up for the exchanges.
Some could not obtain insurance previously because they couldn't afford their premiums, or were denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, Obama said. He called the issue "life-or-death stuff," saying that "tens of thousands of Americans die each year just because they don't have health insurance."

Chiding Republicans for trying to block his health care plan, Obama said: "I know it's strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is."
Republicans said the plan is overly bureaucratic and will ultimately drive up health costs, force people to change plans and lower the quality of care. Boehner noted that certain business requirements for coverage of employees have been delayed for a year, and the rest of the law should be as well.

In an op-ed for USA TODAY, Boehner said Obama and the Democrats refuse to negotiate a new budget plan even "as stories across the country highlight the devastating impact of Obamacare on families and small businesses."

During his remarks at the White House, Obama also previewed another potential standoff, this one over raising the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling.

The debt ceiling gives the government authority to borrow money to pay existing bills, Obama said. Failure to raise it would lead to a first-ever government default, lowering the nation's credit and creating other economic problems.
Obama again said he would negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling.

"I'm not going to allow anybody to drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud just to re-fight a settled election or extract ideological demands," Obama said. "Nobody gets to hurt our economy and millions of hardworking families over a law you don't like."