House passes stopgap bill to keep fed government humming

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day ahead of a government shutdown deadline, the House easily passed a stopgap spending bill to keep federal agencies running through the end of April.

The legislation's fate in the Senate remained uncertain due to strident opposition from coal-state Democrats.

The Republican-led House voted today to approve the spending bill, 326-96.

Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio argued that a provision in the bill to temporarily extend health care benefits for about 16,500 retired union coal miners facing the loss of coverage on Dec. 31 is insufficient. The measure does not protect pension benefits despite President Harry S. Truman's 1946 guarantee to miners of lifetime health and retirement benefits.

Republicans insisted the deal was the best they could get, heightening the possibility the government could close at midnight Friday.

"They're not going to get what they want. They ought to actually be grateful for what they got," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican.

The standoff raised the possibility of a weekend Senate session.

"We're going to stick together on this, and this is really important to Democrats," Brown said. "And we hope that President-elect Trump, in his words about Buy America and his talk about workers, will help us convince Republicans."