Republican leaders on Tuesday night agreed to allow a vote on aid for the Flint, Michigan, water crisis in a water resources bill, potentially setting up Congressional leaders to agree on a temporary funding bill to keep the government open until December.
The House Rules Committee had initially blocked an amendment on Flint aide to the Water Resources Development Act, but GOP leaders agreed to add the amendment providing $170 million in aid for Flint, according to The Hill.
The agreement came after the Senate failed to advance a short-term spending measure on Tuesday when Democrats balked at the legislation’s lack of funding for Flint. The continuing resolution’s failure raised concerns that Congress would not be able to reach an agreement on a spending measure in time to avoid a government shutdown.
The agreement to provide funding for Flint was part of negotiations between House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), house Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), according to Politico. The vote on Flint aid could lead to an agreement on the broader government funding measure, but it’s not clear that including aid for Flint in the water bill will be enough for Democrats.