Obama: One Third of Americans 'Already Have New Benefits'

President Barack Obama called on House Republicans Friday to drop their previous efforts to defund Obamacare after the Senate stripped the defunding language out of the House-passed continuing resolution (CR).

“If Congress chooses not to pass a budget by Monday, the end of the fiscal year, they will shut down the government along with many vital services that the American people depend on,” Obama said from the White House briefing room. The President said the Senate “acted responsibly” by stripping Obamacare defunding from the bill the House passed last week. He asserted, “now it’s up to the Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same.”

Obama also said House Republicans should “think about who you’re hurting” if the government shuts down, adding that “it would throw a wrench into the gears of our economy at a time when those gears have gained some traction.”

In a nod to GOP Senators like Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bob Corker (R-TN), and governors like New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie, Obama said that “many Republican senators and many Republican governors have urged Republicans to knock it off, pass a budget, and move on. Let’s get this done.”

Obama claimed yet again he would not blink on the Affordable Care Act if the government shuts down. “That’s not going to happen,” he said. “More than 100 million Americans currently already have new benefits and protections under the law. On Tuesday, about 40 million more Americans will be able to finally buy quality affordable health care just like anybody else.”

Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin countered President Obama in a statement of her own, calling on the House Republicans to stand strong against Obamacare.

“The responsibility is on you, as representatives of the people!” Martin said in a statement. “You must stand up for what is right and protect the American people from this catastrophic law.”

“Obamacare is not ready!” Martin added. “The administration delayed it again yesterday. The entire law must be delayed.”

Martin said the House must band together and continue to heed the American people’s wishes to fight against Obamacare funding in the CR.

“Although the Senate did not heed the wishes of the House and the American people, we are proud to support Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and the 17 others who stood strong in the face of criticism and ridicule from the media and their own colleagues,” Martin said. “Their courageous fight is the only thing separating the American people from this job killing program.”