White House spokesman Jay Carney said that House Republicans acted Saturday to shut down the federal government.
"Republicans in Congress had the opportunity to pass a routine, simple continuing resolution that keeps the government running for a few more weeks," he said in a statement. "But instead, Republicans decided they would rather make an ideological point by demanding the sabotage of the health care law."
Carney said President Barack Obama is willing to improve the health care law and meet Republicans more than halfway but that "he will not do so under threats of a government shutdown that will hurt our economy."
"Any member of the Republican Party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown," he said. "It's time for the House to listen to the American people and act, as the Senate has, in a reasonable way to pass a bill that keeps the government running and move on."
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