Dems cave again, Senate Will Avoid Government Shutdown As Dems Drop Fight [View all]

[krawhitham]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tariniparti/senate-hatches-last-minute-deal-to-avoid-shutdown

WASHINGTON — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is backing off his push to extend coal miners insurance for a year as part of a bill to fund the government, averting the risk of a shutdown at midnight Friday.

In a speech on the Senate floor Friday evening, Manchin expressed grave disappointment that Congress would only extend health care benefits for retired miners and their widows for four months, rather than the longer extension he had pushed for. While Manchin will not hold up the government funding bill past Friday night’s deadline, he said that he would vote against the bill in protest.

Manchin chastised his colleagues for using working Americans and coal miners, in their campaign ads, while refusing to negotiate on extending benefits for them and instead going home for the holidays.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tariniparti/senate-hatches-last-minute-deal-to-avoid-shutdown