Politics & Government
Dent Supports 'Clean' Bill to End Government Shutdown
Lehigh County's U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent has broken ranks with House Republicans on the government shutdown.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-15) says he will support a "clean" bill to reopen the federal government, according to a Huffington Post report.
Dent, who represents Lehigh County and part of Northampton County, is the only eastern Pennsylvania Republican in Congress who, late Monday, voted against two of his party's bills designed to block Obamacare while keeping the government open, PennLive reports.
It will take 17 Republicans to join all of the House Democrats to pass such a bill. There are 14, including Dent, as of Wednesday morning.
Joining Dent are U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick of Bucks County and U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan of New Jersey. (Runyan is a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle).
Dent is serving his fifth term in Congress.
Do you agree with Dent that Congress should pass a clean bill to reopen the government without trying to block the Affordable Care Act in the process? Tell us in the comments section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.