Senate fight threatens shutdown
Battle over benefits for coal miners could lead to a shutdown
The House clears bills to keep the government running through April, but a Senate fight over benefits for retired coal miners threatens to lead to a government shutdown this weekend.
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday cleared bills to keep the government running through April and authorize hundreds of water projects, but a Senate fight over benefits for retired coal miners threatened to lead to a government shutdown this weekend.
House members promptly bolted home for the holidays and will return next month to a capital city in which Republicans will fully control all levers of power, with Donald Trump inaugurated as the nation’s 45th president.
The stopgap spending bill passed on a 326-96 vote; the massive water projects measure passed 360-61.
In the Senate, however, Democrats made a last-ditch effort to add two provisions to the bills: A oneyear respite for retired coal miners scheduled to lose their health benefits at year’s end and a permanent extension of “Buy America” mandates for steel used in the construction of water projects.
“They totally gave the back of their hand to miners,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. “Who’s for the working people? Where’s Donald Trump on miners?”
GOP leaders insisted the deal was the best the Democrats could get, heightening the possibility the government could close at midnight Friday.
“They’re not going to get what they want. They ought to actually be grateful for what they got,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican.
Democrats’ options were limited, especially since the House has closed up shop and won’t consider changes to either bill.
And delaying the separate water projects measure would kill $170 million long sought by Democrats to help the impoverished city of Flint, Mich., repair its aging infrastructure to rid its water of poisonous lead.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., nonetheless promised to filibuster the massive water projects bill over a provision allowing more of California’s limited water resources to flow to Central Valley farmers hurt by the state’s lengthy drought.
The Senate did, however, clear the annual defense policy bill, which authorizes $611 billion to run the military in 2017, provides a 2.1 percent pay hike for the military and again blocks President Barack Obama from delivering on his longstanding campaign pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The vote was 92-7. The spending bill passed by the House would keep the government running through April 28 and provide $10 billion in supplemental war funding and $4 billion more for disaster relief for Louisiana and other states.
In a win for Trump, the bill would speed up the confirmation process for retired Gen. James Mattis, his choice for defense secretary. Congress needs to pass legislation to grant Mattis an exception from a law that requires a seven-year wait for former members of the military to serve in the civilian post.