Senate Democrats are playing politics with Louisiana’s flood relief money. They blocked a vote on the bill that contained $500 million to help the state recover from the recent flooding.

From the Shreveport Times:

The Senate Tuesday stumbled over a must-do bill to prevent the government from shutting down this weekend and fund flood relief and the fight against the Zika virus. Democrats, demanding money so that Flint, Michigan can address its man-made water crisis, overwhelmingly opposed the measure, as did a host of the chamber’s most conservative members.

The 45-55 vote stalls the stopgap funding bill — for now at least — and is exasperating top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who made several concessions to Democrats in weeks of negotiations over the measure.

The GOP defections left McConnell, R-Ky., short of a simple majority, much less the 60 votes needed to clear a filibuster hurdle.

Republican leaders are promising to address the Flint issue after the election in a separate water resources bill, but Democrats refuse to take them at their word.

If Democrats thought they could win Louisiana this year, they would be all for Louisiana flood relief. Meanwhile, they’re leaving John Bel Edwards out to dry. Are they already writing him off for 2019?

Meanwhile, there are reports out of Washington that a deal has been reached to avert a shutdown. The House will vote on a bill that will be reconciled into the Senate’s bill that will give Flint, Michigan the aid it was looking for.