The Senate's top Republican is seeking to turn the tables on the coal-state Democrats standing in the way of swift passage of a stopgap spending bill over health benefits for retired miners.
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Friday the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress have waged a "war on coal" that has created economic hardships for miners.
The spending bill to keep the federal government operating through April is stalled in the Senate as Democrats facing re-election in 2018, including West Virginia's Joe Manchin, are fighting for a one-year extension for the miners' health benefits rather than the temporary, four-month fix in the bill.
Manchin has called the short fix "horrendous" and "inhumane."
McConnell tried to reassure Democrats but also said the temporary extension is the best they're going to get.
"Would I have preferred that [the continuing resolution] provision to be more generous? Of course I would have," McConnell said. "My request to the House was to fund it for a full year but we'll be back at it in April and I think it's highly unlikely it will be taken away."
However, he said "this is a good time to take yes for answer."
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