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WASHINGTON Republicans drew battle lines Wednesday over the spending bill that would keep the government running by refusing to fund ObamaCare subsidies.

Were not doing that, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with his GOP caucus.

Declining to include payments to insurers in the April must-pass spending bill increases the drama for a possible government shutdown at midnight Friday.

Pulling the money that helps low-income Americans afford insurance would create monumental instability in the individual marketplace, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens) warned Wednesday.

I dont think my Republican colleagues want to see this go unfunded. The instability they would create in the markets would be monumental to themselves and their states, Crowley said.

The government will shut down Saturday President Trumps 100th day if Congress fails to pass the new spending bill.

Ryan said lawmakers are very close to agreeing on spending priorities. He said the ObamaCare payments should be addressed separately by the Trump administration and not be a bargaining chip in the spending bill.

That is not an appropriation bill. Thats something separate that the administration does, Ryan said.

Trump has previously signaled a willingness to use his administrative authority to end the payments, which would mean ObamaCare dies.

The cost-sharing payments amounting to about $7 billion a year go to insurance companies so they can lower patient deductibles and co-pays for low-income patients.

Theyve been a huge source of controversy for House Republicans, with former House Speaker John Boehner even filing a lawsuit against the Obama administration in 2014.

Republicans argued Obama didnt have the authority to dole out those payments without the explicit approval of Congress. The case is pending.

Democrats warned of dire consequences if Trump carries out his threat to sabotage the ObamaCare market.

If he chooses to stop making these payments, it blows up the market, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Wednesday.

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Republicans refuse to fund ObamaCare subsidies - New York Post