Friday
Sept. 20

11 days

House

Passed a measure that would fund the government through mid-December and defund president Obama’s health-care law, known as Obamacare.

Monday
Sept. 23

8 days

Set next
vote

Senate

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) called up the House bill, known as a continuing resolution, and filed a motion that sets up initial votes on the measure.

Tuesday
Sept. 24

7 days

Cruz speaks

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) spoke against Obamacare on the Senate floor for more than 21 hours. The act was largely symbolic — there were procedures in place that dictated that Cruz had to yield the floor by Wednesday afternoon. He stopped speaking at noon.

Wednesday
Sept. 25

6 days

To debate motion

The Senate voted unanimously to defeat the first filibuster hurdle at 1 p.m.

To debate
bill

The rules allowed for 30 more hours of debate on the motion to proceed before formally approving the start of debate, but around 8 p.m. senators agreed to approve beginning debate on a voice vote.

Set next
vote

Reid filed a second motion setting up the next vote, for Friday, to prevent a last filibuster attempt by Obamacare opponents.

If there are 60 ayes, this vote will prevent any filibuster attempt and lock in a time for a final vote on the bill.

Thursday
Sept. 26

5 days

The Republican Party’s rebellious right wing blocked a strategy by House Speaker John A. Boehner for navigating a series of deadlines to keep the government funded and avoid a first-ever default.

Friday
Sept. 27

4 days

Prevent all filibusters

The Senate voted 79 to 19 to move the bill forward.

Amended

Reid called up his amendment to strip out the portion that would defund Obama’s health-care law. The Senate subsequently voted 54 to 44 to restore funding for the health-care law, with all Republicans voting no. Minutes later, the body approved the overall bill by the same numbers.

Saturday
Sept. 28

3 days

Amended

House

Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Republican leaders released a joint statement, outlining their new strategy and revoking their former demand to defund the health-care law entirely. The statement detailed three changes to the legislation:

  • A one-year delay of all elements of the Affordable Care Act.
  • A permanent repeal of the device tax that funded portions of the law.
  • Funding for the government through mid-December rather than mid-November.

The statement reads: “We will do our job and send this bill over, and then it’s up to the Senate to pass it and stop a government shutdown.”

House Democrats met at 6 p.m. to discuss a strategy ahead of the vote. A few Democrats who face tough reelection races may break from the party and vote with Republicans.

Reid denounced the House Republican plan, making clear that the Senate will reject the House bill.

The House voted 231 to 192 to pass the new amendment, forcing the Senate to consider the legislation without funding for Obamacare.

Monday
Sept. 30

1 day

Amended

Senate

The Senate voted 54-46 along party lines to reject the House spending bill at 2:30 p.m. Reid is expected to again strip out the House amendment regarding the health-care law. That exercise requires a simple majority and can be accomplished solely with Democratic votes.

Delay mandate

House

House moderate Republicans on Monday night retreated from their proclamation that they would defeat a procedural hurdle for considering the latest GOP leadership bid to fund the federal government by delaying the individual mandate portion of Obamacare.

To set
debate

After threatening to blow up the bill's progress, just six Republicans opposed the motion to set up the final debate — and several of those were from the far right flank of the GOP caucus. It passed, 225 to 204, and the House is now poised to consider the final passage of the legislation later Monday night.

Delay mandate

At 8:42, the House passed a continuing resolution delaying the individual mandate portion of Obamacare. The bill lost the support of a dozen House Republicans but got nine Democrats to support it. It passed 228-201.

Delay mandate

Senate

Just after 9:30 p.m., senators voted along party lines, 54-46, to kill a House bill that would delay the individual mandate portion of Obamacare.

Both the Senate and the House will have to approve a final funding bill before midnight to avoid a shutdown.

Tuesday
Oct. 1

No shutdown

At this point, there is little chance that the government will not shut down Monday night. Rep. Thomas J. Rooney (R-Fla.) said a shutdown was now “likely.”

Government shutdown

Not all government functions would simply evaporate — Social Security checks would be mailed, and veterans’ hospitals would stay open. But many federal agencies would shut their doors and send employees home. Here’s a look at how a shutdown would work.

Thursday
Oct. 17

Deadline to raise debt ceiling

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned congressional leaders that he will exhaust emergency borrowing measures “no later than Oct. 17,” leaving him with less than $30 billion on hand to pay the nation’s bills.

SOURCE: Staff reports. GRAPHIC: Wilson Andrews and Kennedy Elliott - The Washington Post.