September 19, 2016 | No Comments
Congressional leaders have a tentative deal that would resolve a fight over Zika funding that’s bogged down a short-term government spending bill — but a handful of other provisions in the stopgap measure remain far from resolved, sources said Monday.
That means a procedural vote scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Senate could get delayed as top lawmakers continue to hammer out the fine print of the continuing resolution that will keep the federal government funded until Dec. 9. For now, however, sources said negotiators have settled on language that would provide money to battle the Zika virus while allowing Planned Parenthood’s partner clinic in Puerto Rico to access the federal grants — a provision that had been a major point of contention.
In a brief interview Monday morning, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said “no” when asked whether there would be a deal on government funding later in the day.
“Close is relative,” Reid responded when asked whether an agreement was within reach.
But the tentative resolution on Zika funding sets aside, for now, one of the toughest sticking points in the short-term spending measure. Senate Democrats had repeatedly filibustered a standalone Zika bill over restrictions that barred Planned Parenthood—particularly Profamilias, the health provider’s partner in Puerto Rico — from the federal funds. But in the CR, the Puerto Rico clinic will have access to the money, which comes through a $95 million social services block grant in a broader $1.1 billion Zika package, multiple sources said.
Despite the breakthrough on emergency funding for the mosquito-borne disease, several wrinkles remain in the continuing negotiations.
For instance, funding for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, continues to be in the mix. Democrats on both ends of the Capitol have lobbied for Flint funds to be included in the government spending package, in particular the aid package included in a Senate water resources bill.
But Republicans have similar demands: additional funding for flood-stricken Louisiana in the short-term spending measure. Both issues remained unresolved as of Monday afternoon.
Another issue that remains up in the air is a potential delay in the Obama administration’s proposal to hand over the U.S. government’s authority over the internet domain system to an international body on Oct. 1 — a push that’s being led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a host of other Republican lawmakers. If no deference is paid to Cruz and those lawmakers, the spending bill could turn into an internecine fight among Republicans.
Meanwhile, Democrats want to include language restoring the ability for the Export-Import Bank to finance projects greater than $10 million — which it hasn’t been able to do because three of the five seats on the bank’s board are vacant. The Ex-Im issue is similarly toxic among Republicans, making it a difficult matter to take up ahead of an election.
Republicans — who are eager to return home to campaign for re-election, particularly with control of the Senate in the balance — privately believe Democrats will try to drag out the negotiations as long as possible before the Sept. 30 deadline.
Heather Caygle contributed to this report.