Coal-state Dems threaten gov’t shutdown over aid for miners

“Most of the Senate Democrats support the war on coal”.

Another concern is that several union pension plans in addition to the one serving retired miners are in deep trouble, too.

Senate Democrats have been working for years to pass the Miners Protection Act – a bill that would move money from the Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Fund into a fund to pay for the pension and health care benefits of tens of thousands of coal miners and retirees. Current benefits are set to expire January 1, and the current proposed funding bill includes an extension of just four months.

Republicans say the deal was the best they could get, heightening the possibility the government could close at midnight Friday, reports the Associated Press. But in the Senate, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and some other Democrats were delaying a vote in hopes of adding a longer-term extension of expiring healthcare benefits for retired coal miners and their families.

The Senate is mired in a controversy over a plan that keeps most of the government running through April 28. Congressional Republicans opted to punt the annual spending bills into next year to wait until President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.

“Brushing aside the law that enshrines civilian control of the military – without discussion, in a massive must-pass funding bill – would set a bad precedent”, Pelosi said.

“We promised them they would have their health care benefits and their pensions”, Manchin said from the Senate floor.

Red-state Democrats up for reelection in 2018 forced the standoff to insist on health-care benefits for retired coal miners and requiring the use of American steel in infrastructure projects.

One person who is trying to build support for the measure is Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that he postponed a planned meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Friday. In his state, which is the largest coal producer east of the MS, 68 percent of voters opted for President-elect Donald Trump, who frequently promised to revive the industry.

Democrats also secured funding to assist the Flint, Mich., community with repairing its drinking water systems.

“They gave us a bill and said ‘take it or leave it, ‘” Manchin said. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who participated in an angry Senate debate late Friday, as a group of miners watched from the gallery.

“I’m disappointed that the full Miners Protection Act to address health and pensions benefits for our miners was not included in the continuing resolution that was released tonight”.

Brown and other Democrats said they will push for a bipartisan bill that would protect retirement and health-care benefits for about 120,000 retired coal miners and their families.

“The question is do they want to be responsible for a government shutdown in the interim or not because the outcome is not gong to change”, he said.

The No. 2 Democrat in the chamber Dick Durbin said, “I don’t know” if Democrats have the votes to block the bill.

Democrats’ options were limited, especially since the House has closed up shop and won’t consider changes to either bill. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Mark Warner of Virginia and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania – appeared to be getting little traction on their proposal to extend the temporary benefit measure from four months to a year. McConnell and other GOP leaders are wary of bailing out unionized workers, with some arguing that all coal miners should get the help.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., vowed to filibuster the massive water projects bill, saying it favors corporate farmers over fishermen and endangered species.

“If we don’t do this, we have no business going home” for the holidays, said Sen.

Democrats griped that GOP negotiators on the water bill dumped a permanent “Buy America” provision requiring USA -produced steel be used in water projects. “I haven’t talked to him directly but there are conversations taking place between leadership on the Democratic side and this side”. But that effort lost steam Friday; the projects covered by the measure would be part of the requirement anyway.

Democrats complained the GOP spending measure shortchanged New York City by giving it just $7 million for police overtime costs for protecting Trump, who lives in midtown Manhattan.