House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reached an agreement Tuesday night on an aid package for Flint, the Michigan city in the midst of a water crisis. The House will vote Wednesday on an amendment that would set aside $170 million for Flint. The Senate on Tuesday rejected a stopgap spending measure that would have kept the federal government open past Friday at midnight, thereby averting a shutdown. Many Democrats voted against the legislation because it did not include federal funding for Flint. The Senate passed a separate funding bill for Flint this month totaling $220 million. “It’s almost as if a few Democratic leaders decided long ago that bringing our country to the brink would make for good election-year politics, and then they’ve just made up the rationale as they go along,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
