(AP) — President Barack Obama says congressional critics of the 3-year-old health care law have become more irresponsible in their attempts to kill it the closer the law comes to full implementation.

Obama on Thursday set out to pitch the law known as “Obamacare,” five days before the start of a six-month sign-up period for millions of uninsured Americans.

House Republicans are inserting provisions that undermine the health care law into a short-term spending measure needed to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1 and into legislation that would increase the government’s borrowing ability, which the Treasury says will hit its limit in mid-October.

Obama says, quote, “that’s not going to happen as long as I’m president.” He says critics are, quote, “threatening steps that actually would hurt our entire economy.”