We’re this much closer to a government shutdown | McClatchy Washington Bureau

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a stopgap funding bill proposed by Republicans that included funds to combat Zika, edging the federal government closer to a shutdown.

The federal government will shut down if Congress doesn’t pass a bill to maintain current funding levels by Friday.

Democrats complained that the Republicans’ bill provides money to flood victims in Louisiana and other states but nothing to help residents plagued by lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan.

“It’s outrageous that this funding bill would include money for some communities dealing with flooding but deny resources for families struggling with toxic drinking water in Flint, Michigan,” said Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who voted against the bill.

Republicans in turn accused Democrats of moving the country toward a government shutdown in order to cast the GOP-led Congress as ineffective.

“Senate Democrats stooped to a new low today,” said McCaskill’s Republican colleague, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri.

“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,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a speech on the Senate floor.

In the end, however, some Republicans joined with Democrats on Tuesday to block two attempts to advance the bill that McConnell had offered to avert a shutdown, 45-55 and 40-59. The measure needed 60 votes to pass.

Democrats said they were holding out to add money to help residents affected by lead-tainted water in Flint.

The bill already includes $1.1 billion to fight Zika and millions to help flood victims in Louisiana, West Virginia and Maryland.

Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he hoped the defeat would force Republicans back to the negotiating table.

“I encourage my Republican colleagues to help us have some degree of certainty that the people of Flint will be helped,” he said.

Earlier this month, senators passed a water resources bill by 95-3 that included about $220 million to help Flint. But the House of Representatives version of that bill doesn’t have any Flint money in it.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, told reporters Tuesday that the House would bring its bill to the floor without Flint funding and lawmakers could work out the differences later on.

“I’m not going to negotiate in the media,” Ryan said. He added that the proper place for the Flint money was in the water resources bill.

A handful of Democrats bucked their party to vote to advance the bill: Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.

On the other side of the aisle, 12 Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in blocking the bill, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham opposes the bill because it does not contain a fix for the Export-Import Bank. Cruz wanted the bill to include language that would stop Obama administration plans to turn over control of internet domain names to an international body on Oct. 1.

CORRECTION: Some earlier versions of this story misidentified Speaker Paul Ryan’s home state. He’s from Wisconsin.