WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Dan Benishek said he felt delaying the implementation of Obamacare for a year was a good compromise as Congress faces a government shutdown Tuesday but the Senate rejected the idea. Beneishek says the stand by House Republicans to de-fund or delay Obamacare was appropriate but the Senate was not willing to compromise.

I’ve said repeatedly that the new health care law hurts patients, makes health care more expensive and hurts job creators. I’ve been against this law since the beginning. It’s why I ran for office,” Benishek said. “I want to see it de-funded, I want to see it repealed and see it replaced with a patient-centered approach. I’m continuing to look for constructive ways to get rid of it but I’m against shutting down the government.”

Benishek says his stance is a principled one based on his experiences as a doctor in the U.P. He does not like being called an anarchist or extreme because of his position.

U.S. Senator Carl Levin called on House Republicans to vote on the Senate’s “clean” bill that continues to fund the federal government without addressing Obamacare.

In a speech on the Senate floor Monday, Levin said there is a difference between debating serious policy preferences and threatening to shutdown the government if they don’t get their way. He said, “If all of us threatened legislative anarchy in pursuit of our goals, democracy would cease to function.”

Benishek said he is willing to compromise to prevent a government shutdown tomorrow. He said something can still be done.

“I want the government to stay open and I want to de-fund Obamacare. I am willing to talk with them and compe up with some sort of a compromise, there is no doubt about that. But when they won’t even talk with you and they call you ‘anarchist’ and being extorted, it’s pretty tough to have a civil conversation with people to try to come to a compromise,” said Benishek.

He would not speculate on what a government shutdown might mean. He did say the vote over the weekend in the House was a compromise vote and he hopes the issue can be resolved.