US Congress green-lights $1.7 trillion in government spending
WASHINGTON (MNP) – US lawmakers approved a sweeping annual spending package Friday that includes $45 billion in Ukraine aid and reforms to election law aimed at avoiding a repeat of last year s assault on the Capitol.
The $1.7 trillion blueprint passed by senators on Thursday was rubber-stamped by the House of Representatives just hours ahead of a midnight deadline to keep the federal government open — although a damaging holiday season shutdown was never a serious threat.
“This bill is further proof that Republicans and Democrats can come together to deliver for the American people, and I m looking forward to continued bipartisan progress in the year ahead,” President Joe Biden said in a statement welcoming the vote.
Failure to get the package to Biden s desk would have been an embarrassment, days after his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House to argue for the $44.9 billion emergency military and economic aid proposed as part of the legislation.
But it ultimately enjoyed a smooth passage through the lower chamber, where Democrats have a slim majority for a few more days, until the Republican-led 118th Congress opens for business.
Nine Republicans crossed the aisle to help the package cross the line by 225 votes to 201, while one Democrat — New York progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — voted no.
“In this legislation, we proudly deliver another consequential round of security, economic and humanitarian aid,” departing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in what is almost certainly her last speech as the nation s top lawmaker.
“And it really is not — as the president of Ukraine said the other night — about charity. It s about security, it s about working together.”
The giant bill keeps the lights on until next October, paying for almost every aspect of the day-to-day management of the federal government, from law enforcement to printing money.
