TENSIONS RISE

Sen. Coburn: Defunding Obamacare 'Dishonest'

'A terribly dangerous strategy.'

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, known for cutting federal spending, said that defunding Obamacare would endanger GOP accomplishments. Coburn also called Sen. Mike Lee's efforts to defund the plan "dishonest" and "terribly dangerous," fueling tensions in an already uneasy Republican Party. Criticizing several fellow Republican senators who have signed a pledge that would stop any funds for the Affordable Care Act, Coburn added "I’d be leading the charge if I thought this would work. But it will not work." His bottom line: “The worst thing is being dishonest with your base about what you can accomplish, ginning everybody up and then creating disappointment." Obamacare is set to go fully into effect on January 1, 2014.