House Republicans plan to take two shots at defunding or delaying health care reform, one in a bill funding the federal government beyond Sept. 30, and another in legislation that would raise the government's debt ceiling.

This sets up a game of chicken with Democrats and President Barack Obama over both bills. You can't expect them to agree to defund or delay the president's single-biggest legislative victory.

If no one blinks in this confrontation, the economic consequences could be severe. Without a funding bill, government agencies would be forced to shut down Oct. 1. Without a bill raising the debt limit by mid-October, the government won't have money to pay its bills and could be forced to default on its debt, which would hurt the United States' credit rating and cause turmoil in financial markets.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, dismissed the prospect of a government shutdown.

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