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 one-year 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?”
Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both of whom face re-election in 2018, argued that a provision in the spending bill to temporarily extend health care benefits for about 16,500 retired union coal miners is insufficient.
The measure does not protect pension benefits despite President Harry S. Truman’s 1946 guarantee to miners of lifetime health and retirement benefits.
“Republicans are bragging about the kind of support they have from workers in coal country, particularly retirees in coal country, and now are prepared to just extend their health care for five months,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
GOP leaders insisted the deal was the best the Democrats could get, heightening the possibility the government could close at midnight tonight.
“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.
“They gave us a bill and said ‘take it or leave it,’ ” Manchin said.
Democrats’ options were limited, especially since the House has closed up shop and won’t consider changes to either bill.
