WASHINGTON _ Senate negotiations to avert a government shutdown remained mired Thursday, with the Senate's top Democrat indicating his party opposes key provisions in a Republican stopgap spending plan.
Republican leaders rolled out legislative text of a continuing resolution to keep the government running through Dec. 9 that was quickly rejected by Democrats.
"We're back where we were yesterday. We're in no hurry to go anyplace, OK?" said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "We have a lot of time."
With an agreement already in place to provide additional money in response to the Zika virus outbreak, Reid declared, "We can pass a 'clean' CR, we can do it in a matter of an hour or so."
But major stumbling blocks remain. Reid said Democrats will not agree to a CR that contains flood aid for Louisiana but does not address water contamination in Flint, Mich.
He accused Republicans of "refusing to legislate," saying President Barack Obama will not sign a measure with provisions he deems "ideological." Soon after, White House press secretary Josh Earnest echoed that sentiment.
The White House's "principle has not changed," Earnest said, saying Congress should send Obama a stopgap spending bill that is not used to "pass ideological riders into law."
Another major sticking point is language in the package blocking a Securities and Exchange Commission rule that could force corporations to disclose campaign spending. It is favored by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Reid's rebuttal: "The answer's no."
"The president will accept no riders," Reid said, repeating the White House's stance that any stopgap Obama gets be mostly free of controversial provisions backed by one party but opposed by the other. "If they want to get out of here, we've got Zika resolved. Do a clean CR and they can leave in 10 minutes."
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, echoed that McConnell's plan does not constitute an agreement with Reid and Democrats.
"I don't know what the alternative is," Cornyn said, accusing Reid of refusing to complete negotiations.
Yet another issue is whether to provide emergency funding for flood-ravaged Louisiana. On Thursday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards emerged from a meeting with McConnell and said the CR would include a "down payment" for aid to Louisiana in a CR proposal.
"I expect that he's going to make a proposal soon to move the CR through that has a significant down payment, and then we will be back in Congress during the lame-duck session trying to get the remainder of the funding that we need in the omnibus bill," Edwards told Roll Call.
Edwards declined to say the amount McConnell would include in his proposal, but said it would be a down payment on the community development block grants. He also declined to say when McConnell would move the CR and whether it would also include aid for Flint's water crisis.
Across the Capitol, House leaders are largely leaving the talks to the Senate. But it appears unlikely that chamber would erect new obstacles once it receives whatever the Senate finally comes up with.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday that members of the House GOP caucus are "accepting" that a continuing resolution will extend government funding into December. "I think our members realize that we want to get our work done. We don't want to have high drama around here this time," he said.
Ryan said he does not personally believe additional funding for Flint's lead-contaminated water problems should be added to the continuing resolution. Still, he does support additional money to help Louisiana recover from severe flooding.
"Flint is more of a local government issue ... that is an issue that belongs in the WRDA bill. We are bringing that up next week," Ryan said, adding that the level and widespread effect of the Louisiana floods makes it an issue that qualifies for federal emergency aid.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump briefly injected himself in the legislative debate as lawmakers prepared to flee for a long weekend.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wanted to block an Obama administration plan to shift oversight of internet domain addresses from the United States to an international entity. Trump endorsed Cruz's effort, but McConnell opted against including it in his proposal.
