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House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi struck a deal late Tuesday to deliver federal aid to address the water crisis in Flint, Mich., potentially removing a major flashpoint in negotiations to keep the government fully operating past Friday. Under the deal, the House will vote Wednesday on an amendment to a pending water projects bill that would authorize up to $170 million in infrastructure funds for communities like Flint whose water systems are blighted by “chemical, physical, or biological” contaminants. (DeBonis, 9/27)

Senate Democrats say they plan to block a governing spending bill Tuesday because they don’t trust Republicans to keep their promise to separately approve funding for the Flint, Mich., drinking water crisis. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who is on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said at a press conference about two hours before the vote that Democrats are demanding a commitment to Flint aid in writing. (Ferris, 9/7)

This was not supposed to be difficult. With the election a little more than a month away and few major issues on the table, the House and Senate were going to pass a straightforward stopgap bill to fund the government through early December and then skedaddle. So much for that. (Hulse, 9/27)