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WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (AP) — The Senate moved closer to passing a $1.7 trillion government funding bill on Wednesday, with supporters pointing to an evening visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a way to advance the program. Another cause for the measure to show support for the troubled country.
The measure includes $44.9 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine and NATO allies, exceeding even President Joe Biden’s request, and securing funds for the war effort in the coming months. The measure would also increase U.S. defense spending by about 10 percent to $858 billion, addressing concerns from some lawmakers that more investment in the nation’s military is needed to keep America safe.
The Senate could approve the bill as soon as Wednesday. The House of Representatives would then have until midnight Friday to consider and pass the measure to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) spoke Wednesday urging colleagues to vote for the measure, even as they emphasized different priorities. matter.
Schumer said the worst thing Congress can do now is send any signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. is backing away from its commitment to defend Ukraine.
He doubled down on that message in the evening, saying he had just met with Zelensky.
“He made it clear that without this aid package, the Ukrainians would be in real trouble and possibly lose the war,” Schumer said. “Therefore, the urgency to get this legislation done becomes all the more important.”
McConnell is facing opposition from many Republicans who do not support the spending bill and resent being forced to vote on such a massive package so shortly before a possible shutdown and the Christmas holiday. He highlighted the bill’s boost to defense spending, saying nondefense spending would have risen below the rate of inflation excluding a big boost to veterans’ health care.
“If Republicans had taken control of this chamber, we would have handled the appropriations process completely differently,” McConnell said. “But given the reality we’re in today, senators have two options this week, and only two : We either give our armed forces the resources and certainty they need, or we deny them.”
The 4,155-page bill includes about $772.5 billion for nondefense, discretionary programs and $858 billion for defense and will fund agencies through September.
Lawmakers have struggled to fit as many priorities as possible into the sprawling package, which could be the last major bill in this Congress. That includes $27 billion in disaster funding to help communities recover from disasters and extreme weather events, as well as sweeping changes to federal election laws aimed at preventing any future president or presidential candidate from trying to overturn the election.
The bipartisan electoral reforms are a direct response to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to persuade Republican lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to oppose certifying Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
The spending bill also contained a number of policy changes that lawmakers struggled to include to avoid starting over in a new Congress next year.
Examples include a rule from Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley banning TikTok on government phones due to security concerns. Another provision supported by the Maine delegation was added to help the state’s lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, delaying proposed regulations to help save endangered North Atlantic right whales. And, on health care, the bill requires states to enroll children in Medicaid for at least one year, which advocates say increases access to preventive care.
However, millions of people enrolled in low-income Americans’ health care plans could start losing coverage on April 1 after the bill eliminated the COVID-19 public health emergency requirement that prevented states from removing people from Medicaid planned dismissal.
The bill also provides about $15.3 billion for more than 7,200 projects lawmakers are pursuing for their states and territories. Under revised rules for funding community projects, also known as earmarks, lawmakers must post their requests online and certify that they have no financial interest in the projects. Still, many fiscal conservatives criticize earmarking for unnecessary spending.
Lawmakers negotiated several amendments on Wednesday, and lawmakers will seek a return that would allow expedited consideration of the bill, which passed its first test vote with ease on Tuesday night. But progress has been slow, and it is clear that the final vote will not take place until after Zelensky’s speech.
“No one wants a government shutdown. No one benefits from a shutdown. So I hope no one here is going to delay this process of getting the government funded as quickly as possible,” Schumer said.
Some Republican senators took issue with the measure, not just because of the amount of spending but because Congress has a habit of packing 12 separate appropriations bills into one sprawling bill long after the fiscal year begins, just before a key deadline looms. package plan.
“Give us a bill at 1:28am, over 4,000 pages, no one has had a chance to read it, we don’t know what’s in it, that’s not the way to run your personal life, your business life or your government,” Florida State Republican Senator Rick Scott said. “This has to stop.
House Republicans, including Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the next likely speaker of the House, are encouraging their colleagues in the Senate to support only a short-term extension. That way, they will have more capacity to create legislation. McCarthy spoke with senators during Wednesday’s caucus lunch. Republican leaders sent notices to House members urging them to vote against the measure when it comes to the House.
“This agreement is designed to sideline the incoming Republican House majority by extending many programs for multiple years and providing substantial funding increases for Democratic priorities beyond the exorbitant spending already appropriated this year,” the notice said. .”(Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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