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| Obama Keeps Eye on Iran and Health Law Amid Fiscal Standoff | |
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| WASHINGTON — On what was shaping up as a Monday to remember at the White House, President Obama was alternately spectator and actor on three different issues that could define his legacy: the budget, health care and Middle East peace. | WASHINGTON — On what was shaping up as a Monday to remember at the White House, President Obama was alternately spectator and actor on three different issues that could define his legacy: the budget, health care and Middle East peace. |
| With regard to the most pressing issue of the day, a midnight deadline for Congress to finance the domestic and military operations of the government as a new fiscal year begins on Tuesday, Mr. Obama has largely remained on the sidelines. He was in “wait-and-see mode,” as one aide put it, while Congress prepared for the latest go-round in the debate over government spending and Mr. Obama’s signature health care law. | With regard to the most pressing issue of the day, a midnight deadline for Congress to finance the domestic and military operations of the government as a new fiscal year begins on Tuesday, Mr. Obama has largely remained on the sidelines. He was in “wait-and-see mode,” as one aide put it, while Congress prepared for the latest go-round in the debate over government spending and Mr. Obama’s signature health care law. |
| But in comments at the White House on Monday, Mr. Obama said he was not resigned to a government shutdown and indicated that he expected to speak with Congressional leaders in the coming days. He added that he would be “not only open, but eager to have negotiations around a long-term budget” once Congress passes a stopgap spending measure and raises the debt limit. | But in comments at the White House on Monday, Mr. Obama said he was not resigned to a government shutdown and indicated that he expected to speak with Congressional leaders in the coming days. He added that he would be “not only open, but eager to have negotiations around a long-term budget” once Congress passes a stopgap spending measure and raises the debt limit. |
| “There’s not a world leader, if you took a poll, who would say that it would be responsible or consistent with America’s leadership in the world for us not to pay our bills,” Mr. Obama said during a joint appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. “We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system. And our currency is the reserve currency of the world. We don’t mess with that. And we certainly don’t allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy.” | “There’s not a world leader, if you took a poll, who would say that it would be responsible or consistent with America’s leadership in the world for us not to pay our bills,” Mr. Obama said during a joint appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. “We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system. And our currency is the reserve currency of the world. We don’t mess with that. And we certainly don’t allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy.” |
| The president’s comments came as House Republicans signaled that they would not yield on their demand that any stopgap budget measure be tied to a one-year delay in the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010. The Senate’s Democratic majority, united behind the president, rejected that demand and voted overwhelmingly to strip Republican policy prescriptions from the spending measure and send it back to the House. | The president’s comments came as House Republicans signaled that they would not yield on their demand that any stopgap budget measure be tied to a one-year delay in the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010. The Senate’s Democratic majority, united behind the president, rejected that demand and voted overwhelmingly to strip Republican policy prescriptions from the spending measure and send it back to the House. |
| Absent any negotiations, the administration continued its preparations to shut down the government, and to foist blame on Republicans. Mr. Obama tentatively planned to make a statement to the nation late in the day, with the exact words to be determined by the unfolding and unpredictable events. | Absent any negotiations, the administration continued its preparations to shut down the government, and to foist blame on Republicans. Mr. Obama tentatively planned to make a statement to the nation late in the day, with the exact words to be determined by the unfolding and unpredictable events. |
| Even as the Affordable Care Act was at the center of the divisive budget debate, the White House juggled the last-minute details of putting a core piece of the law into effect on Tuesday. That is the long-anticipated start of open enrollment for the health insurance marketplaces, known as exchanges, that are intended to eventually make competitively priced health coverage available to the estimated 15 percent of uninsured Americans. | Even as the Affordable Care Act was at the center of the divisive budget debate, the White House juggled the last-minute details of putting a core piece of the law into effect on Tuesday. That is the long-anticipated start of open enrollment for the health insurance marketplaces, known as exchanges, that are intended to eventually make competitively priced health coverage available to the estimated 15 percent of uninsured Americans. |
| Against that double-barreled domestic backdrop, Mr. Obama was preoccupied with an event that on a normal day would be big news on its own: a rare White House visit from Mr. Netanyahu. The meeting came just three days after Mr. Obama broke a 34-year freeze in top-level contacts between the United States and Iran, Israel’s nemesis, via a phone conversation on Friday with President Hassan Rouhani. | Against that double-barreled domestic backdrop, Mr. Obama was preoccupied with an event that on a normal day would be big news on its own: a rare White House visit from Mr. Netanyahu. The meeting came just three days after Mr. Obama broke a 34-year freeze in top-level contacts between the United States and Iran, Israel’s nemesis, via a phone conversation on Friday with President Hassan Rouhani. |
| It fell to Mr. Obama to reassure Mr. Netanyahu that such exchanges could perhaps lead to an agreement that Iran would stop its march toward a nuclear weapon and rejoin the international community, rather than buy Iran time to develop such weapons, as Israel fears. | It fell to Mr. Obama to reassure Mr. Netanyahu that such exchanges could perhaps lead to an agreement that Iran would stop its march toward a nuclear weapon and rejoin the international community, rather than buy Iran time to develop such weapons, as Israel fears. |
| On Capitol Hill, Republicans made much of Mr. Obama’s willingness to talk to the Iranians but not to them, calling him “AWOL.” Neither Mr. Obama privately nor his advisers publicly evinced any concern that most Americans would blame the president for refusing to negotiate on demands that he defund or even delay the health insurance law, his signature domestic achievement. | On Capitol Hill, Republicans made much of Mr. Obama’s willingness to talk to the Iranians but not to them, calling him “AWOL.” Neither Mr. Obama privately nor his advisers publicly evinced any concern that most Americans would blame the president for refusing to negotiate on demands that he defund or even delay the health insurance law, his signature domestic achievement. |
| Yet, as administration officials acknowledged ruefully, the White House cannot revel in Republicans’ internal disarray and House leaders’ impotence against Tea Party Republicans. Mr. Obama, at least for now, was also looking impotent against the Republicans’ ideological militancy. | Yet, as administration officials acknowledged ruefully, the White House cannot revel in Republicans’ internal disarray and House leaders’ impotence against Tea Party Republicans. Mr. Obama, at least for now, was also looking impotent against the Republicans’ ideological militancy. |
| Worse, the looming government shutdown only intensified fears in both parties — and financial markets, as the days’ stock losses indicated — that the hard-line conservatives would also force a more economically threatening showdown in mid-October. That is when Congress must raise the nation’s debt limit, allowing the government to pay its bills and creditors for obligations already committed to, or court a first-ever default. | Worse, the looming government shutdown only intensified fears in both parties — and financial markets, as the days’ stock losses indicated — that the hard-line conservatives would also force a more economically threatening showdown in mid-October. That is when Congress must raise the nation’s debt limit, allowing the government to pay its bills and creditors for obligations already committed to, or court a first-ever default. |