[BuckeyeTexan]

The courts have held that each individual congress can control the spending. A prior congress cannot bind future congresses on spending bills. They cannot block the power of a future congress to control spending during its term. The current House holds the purse strings and the power to deny funds. Look it up. James Madison Federalist 58.

Absolutely agreed. I'm not asserting otherwise. The House doesn't have to vote to fund Obamacare. If they want to deny funds, as is totally and completely within their power under the Constitution, then they must vote to defund it. That is the point of the article.

The main elements of Obamacare (insurance exchanges, subsidies, and the individual mandate) will be funded even during a shutdown through mandatory funding that was provided for in the ACA and through multi-year and no-year discretionary funds.

Social Security and Medicare are continually funded in the same manner. A prior Congress provided for mandatory funding within the original legislation. To stop funding those programs, the House would have to vote to defund them.

[Jane Long]

Social Security and Medicare are continually funded in the same manner. A prior Congress provided for mandatory funding within the original legislation. To stop funding those programs, the House would have to vote to defund them.

Bingo! That's what the House JUST DID - last week - w/0Care! They could also vote to Defund welfare, SS, etc., but the MAJORITY of Americans don't want those programs completely defunded! The MAJORITY of Americans DO want 0care DEFUNDED, so the House followed the will of The People.

The House holds the purse strings...for ALL *programs*...and authorizes funding, each year.

[Jim Robinson]

See my later post. The congress most definitely may adjust, suspend or repeal various provisions of law passed through prior acts. See Federalist 58.

The current house has final control over funding or the denial of funding of the current government.