Government shutdown coming? If miners cant get enough help, maybe

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is considering a 28-month extension of retired coal miners’ health benefits, but his plan could inflame a dispute that threatens to trigger a partial government shutdown next week.

Senate Democrats, including West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, have vowed to use whatever means they have to force Congress to take care of the health care issue once and for all with a permanent fix.

Congress faces a deadline next Friday to approve funding for most of the government through Sept. 30, the end of this fiscal year. If it doesn’t act, many agencies will shut down on April 29, the 100th day of the Trump presidency. Lawmakers are considering several spending ideas, including only a one- or two-week extension.

The miners’ plight is one of several unresolved issues. Among the biggest: The White House has signaled that it wants money for its U.S.-Mexico border wall, but Democrats are balking.

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