Politics

Senate Dems Vote Down Bill To Dodge Gov’t Shutdown

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Juliegrace Brufke Capitol Hill Reporter
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With just three days to go before the government shuts down, the Senate blocked a procedural vote to move forward on a continuing resolution designed to keep the government funded through Dec. 9.

Democrats argued Tuesday funding for the Flint, Mich., water crisis should have been included in the bill’s text alongside flood funding for states like Louisiana and West Virginia.

Twelve Republicans also voted down the measure, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who pushed to include language to block the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) transfer, which was left out.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is open to taking the flood funding out of the bill since that’s Democrats main grievance.

“We keep hearing that their position is no Flint, no floods” he told reporters. “That’s certainly an option worth discussing.”

Republicans have advocated for Flint funding to be moved in a different vehicle, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which overwhelmingly passed the Senate.

Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters even if Republican leadership assured Flint funding would pass both chambers through WRDA, they wouldn’t get behind a CR similar to the version voted down.

Congress has until Friday before the 2016 Fiscal Year comes to an end.

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