Washington (CNN) -- Republicans forced an
unnecessary budget crisis in their single-minded effort to dismantle health
care reforms, President Barack Obama said Tuesday as frustration spread across
Washington and the country on the first day of a government shutdown.
In some of his strongest
criticism so far, Obama said the shutdown intended to hinder government efforts
to provide health insurance to 15% of the U.S. population that doesn't have
coverage, adding it was "strange that one party would make keeping people
uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda."
The stalemate in Congress that
caused the shutdown continued with Senate Democrats voting for a fourth time to
reject a spending plan by House Republicans that sought to undermine Obamacare.
This time, the House proposal
also included a call for a conference committee to seek a compromise. But
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats turned down the package
because it amounted to extortion by Republicans to force concessions on Obama's
signature health care reforms.
Reid said the Senate wants to
negotiate a budget with the House, "but not with the government closed.
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