President Barack Obama is ramping up pressure on Republicans to avoid a post-midnight government shutdown. He says a shutdown would hurt the economy and hundreds of thousands of government workers.

. President Barack Obama speaks to the media about the possibility of a government shut down
President Barack Obama speaks to the media about the possibility of a government shut down (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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He says it would "throw a wrench into the gears" of a recovering economy.

He urges the House to pass a short-term spending bill free of any conditions that would weaken the nation's 3-year-old health care law.

Obama spoke Monday after the Senate rejected a House proposal to delay implementation of the health care law. House Republicans were preparing to vote on another stop-gap spending measure, this one putting off a requirement that people must obtain health insurance.

The White House issued a veto threat to that proposal shortly after GOP leaders proposed it.


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