House Republicans in a box:  The US Senate votes 54-46 to reject House bill that funds government and delays Obamacare. The bill now goes back to House as a government shutdown looms. This comes as Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., discouraged GOP leadership ‘from launching another volley back over to the Senate’ in funding bill debate – @CNN. Sen. Dick Durbin slammed House Speaker John Boehner as being unable to lead, even quoting a Republican aide who said there are parties in the House — Republicans, Tea Party and the Democrats. The Republican Party is DIVIDED. A shutdown would be damaging to the country. It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and stop letting the Tea Party extremists hijack the US Congress.

With its last offer rejected, House Republicans will attach language to a government funding bill that would delay the mandate that individuals obtain health insurance and would force members of Congress, their staffs and White House staff members to purchase their health insurance on the new exchanges without any government subsidies.

The decision makes it more likely that a partial shutdown of the government will commence just after midnight, barring a last-minute retreat by the House.

UPDATE #1:  House GOP plans to fund government, propose to delay individual mandate portion of Obamacare, sources tell @washingtonpost. In other words, the same bill as the one they voted on Saturday. This comes as only 10 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing.

This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.