The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to advance House-passed legislation to defund ObamaCare and keep the government open beyond September.

Senators voted 100 to 0 to end debate on a motion to proceed to the House-passed stopgap, which includes language to prioritize debt payments if Congress fails to raise the debt limit this fall. The vote sets the stage for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to offer an amendment to strip the language defunding ObamaCare and prioritizing the debt out of the House measure.

Republicans said they support advancing the legislation because it would defund the controversial healthcare law.

“Invoking cloture on a bill that defunds ObamaCare, doesn’t raise taxes and respects the Budget Control Act, it strikes me as a no-brainer,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) told reporters

By Alexander Bolton - 09/25/13 01:24 PM ET
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