Democrats block bill to keep nation running
Funds lacking to clean water in Flint, Mich.
Democratic senators WASHINGTON blocked a vote Tuesday to advance a Republican bill that would keep the government open past Friday, because it did not include federal aid to help clean up lead- contaminated drinking water in Flint, Mich.
Senators voted 45- 55 to advance the legislation, falling 15 votes short of the 60 needed to move the bill forward. A dozen Republicans joined 40 Democrats and two independents in opposing the proposal.
Congress must act by midnight Friday to prevent a government shutdown Oct. 1, when fiscal 2017 begins.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Ky., unveiled a proposal last week that would fund the government at existing levels through Dec. 9 to give lawmakers time to negotiate a bigger agreement to fund federal agencies through September 2017.
It would have provided $ 1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus and $ 500 million in aid to the flood- ravaged states of Louisiana, Maryland and West Virginia.
Democrats support those measures, but they were upset that Republicans did not include $ 220 million to help pay for a new water system for Flint, Mich., where residents have been poisoned by lead- contaminated drinking water.
Democrats argue that Flint residents are victims of a disaster and deserve emergency aid just like the people of Louisiana do.
“The Republican ( proposal) ignores a 21⁄ 2- year crisis in Flint, Mich.,” said Minority Leader Harry Reid, D- Nev. “Lead has poisoned all 100,000 people, almost 10,000 children, some of whom are babies. Lead is a killer for children. A child who ingests lead in any way ... ( it) will affect them the rest of their lives. They won’t be as smart as they could be. They won’t be as agile as they could be. It really hurts them.”
McConnell complained that Democrats keep changing what they want in the funding deal. He said he is giving Democrats what they have sought for months: $ 1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus with no “poison pills” that would prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding or that would waive federal environmental laws governing the use of pesticides to kill mosquitoes. Zika is spread by mosquitoes and through sexual contact.
McConnell’s proposal included full 2017 funding for military construction and veterans programs and about $ 7 million over the next 10 weeks to begin paying for new federal programs approved by Congress to fight heroin addiction and prescription painkiller abuse.
“Can it really be that Democratic leaders have embraced dysfunction so thoroughly that they’d tank a non- controversial, 10- week funding bill over — well, what exactly?” McConnell said.
He said the $ 220 million for Flint already was approved by the Senate as part of a sweeping water projects bill called the Water Resources Development Act. The House of Representatives has not passed the bill, and its version does not include money for Flint.
House leaders indicated that they expect the Flint aid to be included in a final bill, but Democrats don’t trust them. Democrats said their distrust was underscored Monday night when the House Rules Committee ruled against allowing a vote on an amendment by Rep. Dan Kildee, D- Mich., that would add Flint aid to the water bill.