The Washington Times: United States Congress headed off a shutdown showdown Wednesday, approving a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open through early December, after breaking an impasse over assistance for Michigan residents suffering lead-laced water.
The bill includes $1.1 billion in new money to combat Zika and $500 million for flood relief in Louisiana, Maryland and West Virginia. But leaders agreed to put off work on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, until a water projects bill comes back to Congress after the election.
The Senate acted first, approving the spending bill by 72 votes to 26, before a late-night 342-85 House vote cleared the way for President Obama’s signature ahead of a Friday deadline to keep the government up and running.
The White House said the president would sign the bill despite lingering disagreements with GOP leaders over campaign finance rules and the Export-Import Bank’s ability to approve large loans.
The new fiscal year begins Saturday, but Congress has yet to pass any of the dozen bills needed to fund the government, so Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan turned to a continuing resolution, or “CR,” to avoid an embarrassing shutdown before Election Day.
Weeks of negotiations settled most of the big fights. One key concession by Republicans was to allow Zika money to flow to Puerto Rico, with no federal restrictions on whether it can be used by Planned Parenthood..
