House leadership will provide funding for Flint, Mich. to help address the water crisis, following a new deal Tuesday evening that could potentially sway Democrats to pass a continuing resolution and dodge a looming government shutdown.
House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi struck a deal to add an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), slated for a floor vote Wednesday, which would provide $170 million in emergency funding.
“The amendment represents a bipartisan agreement between Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi to allow germane authorization language to be added to WRDA as an amendment that will, at the end of the day, provide the necessary funding Flint needs in the final WRDA conference report,” a Pelosi aide told Fox News.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of WRDA earlier this year, which included $220 million in Flint aide.
With the 2016 Fiscal Year coming to a close Friday, the clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass a stop-gap measure to keep the government funded through Dec. 9. Democrats cited lack of Flint funding as one of their main grievances in the legislation introduced by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which was blocked in a cloture vote Tuesday.
Republicans argue, with a clear path to provide aide for the toxic water crisis, there is no reason for Democrats to vote against a clean CR.
“Our colleagues in the House made good progress last night on a way forward to help the people of Flint in the Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, which as we’ve said is its proper vehicle,” McConnell said.
“The Senate already voted overwhelmingly, 95-3, to pass assistance for Flint families as part of our WRDA bill, and both Chairman Inhofe and I have pledged to continue to pursue resources for Flint once WRDA goes to conference. As a result, we are hopeful that we will soon reach an agreement with our Democratic colleagues to move forward on the Clean CR/ Zika package today,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “It includes important resources to support our veterans, to combat the Zika virus and heroin and prescription opioid crisis, and to serve as a significant down payment for flood relief.”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid reportedly supports the deal.
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