A Guide To Ted Cruz's Filibuster

The Texas Senator is filibustering a vote on funding government which will include spending to implement Obamacare. Cruz hopes to vote on funding the two separately.

United States Senator Ted Cruz

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Cruz is part of a group of conservatives who are seeking to defund Obamacare. He is preventing the Democrat led Senate from voting on a bill that funds government spending, including funds for Obamacare, which is currently scheduled to be implemented October 1st. This is the filibuster.

This is the same technique used by Senator Rand Paul to challenge the Obama Administration's Drone Program earlier this year

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Speaker of the House John Boehner [/bay-ner/]

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Republicans in the House have already passed a bill to prevent a government shutdown. However, their bill excluded funding to implement Obamacare. According to the Constitution, the House controls the power of the purse, or how government should spend money.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

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As Majority Leader, he has the power to decide how bills are voted on. Currently he is allowing a vote on the House bill that striped funding of Obamacare and funded other government spending. If this vote is successful, he also has the power to add the funding back in the bill by a motion to strike the language from the House passed bill.

So, conservatives in the Senate are asking Republicans to oppose the bill that was passed by Republicans in the House

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This is only because Reid and other Democrats in the Senate plan to change the bill after the vote.

Harry Reid plans to strike the language to defund Obamacare after the Senate takes a vote

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This is why Cruz and other conservatives are saying that a vote in favor is a vote to fund Obamacare and are calling for Senators to vote in opposition.

President Obama has threatened to veto the bill if it does not include funding for Obamacare, which could result in a shutdown

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This move is forcing Republicans to vote on a bill that includes funding.

Some on the left have accused Republicans of wanting a government shutdown

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By forcing Republicans to vote on funding for government and Obamacare together, it will look like they are voting to shutdown government if they oppose the legislation.

If they don't come to some agreement, there could be a shutdown but President Obama and Democrats in the Senate would also be responsible

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Some have suggested that Democrats may agree to fund government and to delay implementation of Obamacare to avoid government shutdown.

Watch the process live on C-SPAN

c-span.org

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Sen-Cruz-Debates-CR-Defunding-Health-Care-Law/10737441638-1/

You may learn something interesting, like who is corner guy?

s3-ec.buzzfed.com

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/who-is-corner-guy