CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senate Democrats say they have reached a deal to fund the federal government until April, including a short-term fix for union miners’ healthcare benefits. The agreement doesn’t address any kind of long-term solution, however.
Passage of a continuing resolution to fund the government was expected late Friday night, averting a government shutdown.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) spoke on the Senate floor early in the evening and scolded congressional colleagues for failing to act on a long-term plan to shore up the miners’ healthcare plans.
“What’s our pathway forward?” Manchin asked. “That’s been hard for me to find a pathway forward right now.”
He vowed to oppose a continuing resolution — with a short-term fix for the health plan problem in it — that would fund the government until April.
We’ve tried to negotiate, tried to compromise & find a path forward so right now I’m going to have to oppose the #CR https://t.co/tKKaXJAGiJ
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) December 10, 2016
Later in a news conference, he acknowledged the likelihood the fight over miners’ healthcare benefits would have to wait until January, when his supporters would use their combined leverage to get a deal through both houses of Congress.
“We’re going to use every tactic we can,” Manchin said.
Two deadlines, wrapped up inside one another, were rapidly approaching.
Thousands of miners were expected to lose their healthcare benefits by the end of December unless Congress acts. Their pension and healthcare plans have been endangered by the 2008 financial crisis and by widespread bankruptcies of coal companies.
Meanwhile, the federal government was on target to shut down by midnight today unless the Senate passes a continuing resolution that would provide funding through April. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the continuing resolution on Thursday, and its members broke until January.
The continuing resolution would also fund healthcare benefits for union miners until April. Manchin, Senator Shelley Moore Capito and others believe that solution is too short. They want a long-term fix.
Coal miners receive notices that their benefits are expiring three months in advance, so they would get these letters again in January.
As Friday went on and with the House already recessed, it appeared to be more and more difficult to reach an agreement without starting again in January.
“The difficulty here is they are having a hard time taking yes for an answer. I represent a lot of coal miners, I’m concerned about this issue. I had hoped we’d get a year. But we’ve got until the end of April to get at it again,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Politico.
Manchin said a discussion with the Trump transition team that had been scheduled for Friday morning was rescheduled so he could focus on his fight to shore up healthcare benefits for union miners.
“Let me just say we haven’t had the meeting yet because I haven’t been able to get up there,” Manchin said this morning on “Talkline” with Hoppy Kercheval. “They called and said, ‘We know you’re fighting for miners. We’re going to go ahead and schedule this for Monday.’
“There’s no way I can leave,” Manchin said. “We’re in a hell of a fight. It’s just absolutely unconscionable, it’s inhumane.”
Manchin had vowed to block legislation, including the continuing resolution, until a long-term fix is in place. He said he would prefer a short-term budget extension, rather than a government shutdown, to buy time to fix the miners healthcare issue.
“We have a vote today. I think they’re going to be surprised by the strength we have,” Manchin said. “We’re trying to vote to extend the session. Bring the House back and let’s fix it.”
In the conversation on “Talkline” and on a conference call with reporters, Manchin was critical of House members for leaving Washington.
“The House basically has walked out. They’re gone. We’ve missed over a hundred days of work here,” he said.
“We can’t do anything to extend it without the House here. It just makes me sick. Let the House members explain to you why they voted to go home.”
The Senator said he would like to avoid a shutdown.
“I am not going to be a part of a shutdown, I never have been,” he said. “If you don’t stand for something, what’s the purpose of being here.”
Manchin said if a permanent fix can’t be accomplished in the short-term, he will press again in January. He said he plans to use part of Monday’s time with Trump to press for support from the president-elect.
“Hopefully that will play a big part. We’ll see,” Manchin said.
He added, “By the time we’re fighting this thing, if it doesn’t go the way we want it to today, he will be sworn in as president. I guarantee he has a lot of clout.”
During the conference call with reporters, Manchin said he twice postponed in-person conversations with Trump but shared a 15- to 20-minute phone conversation with the president-elect.
“He basically called and we talked, and he said ‘I’ve heard you are a very centrist senator,'” Manchin said. “And when all was said and done he said I look forward to talking to you more.”
During a followup call from Reince Priebus, former chairman of the Republican National Committee who has been selected as Trump’s chief of staff, Manchin said no specific position in Trump’s cabinet was discussed.
“I think a lot of this is just speculation,” Manchin said.