House cancels recess, returning Sept.

By Erik Wasson

House Republican leaders announced Wednesday that they have cancelled a recess scheduled for next week in order to deal with a government spending bill needed to avoid an Oct. 1 shutdown of the government. 

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told members that the House will remain in sessions this week, including possibly during the weekend, to deal with a continuing resolution. The House will return on Wednesday, Sept. 25, his office said.

Leaders announced a plan Wednesday to use a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to try to force President Obama and Senate Democrats to permanently defund ObamaCare. That CR is slated for a vote as early as Thursday and is likely to be rejected by the Senate, setting up further votes next week.

Cantor also outlined a plan to tie an increase in the debt ceiling to a package of legislation that delays ObamaCare, approves the Keystone XL pipeline and advances an overhaul of the nation's tax code. Members expect a debt-ceiling vote as early as next week, although Treasury said that mid-October is the deadline to avoid a default.

The White House said Wednesday that the GOP was engaged in "essentially an all-out civil war" and accused Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) of bending to "the will" of a small group of House conservatives after deciding to press forward with a government funding bill that would strip funds for ObamaCare.

"What has become more and more apparent is the leaders of the Republican Party in Congress may want to avoid a shutdown ... but there are members of that party, especially in the House, who seem to embrace the prospect," press secretary Jay Carney said.

Boehner later used some salty language to brush off criticisms he's faced over his leadership skills.

“People say a lot of things about me,” Boehner told GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting, according to two people who attended. “People outside this room. People inside this room. I just let that s--t roll off my back.”