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Senate passes $1.7 trillion spending measure
Washington — The House connected Friday passed the $1.7 trillion authorities spending bill a time aft the Senate approved it, successful their precocious scramble to wide the bundle and stave disconnected a partial authorities shutdown conscionable earlier the Christmas holiday.
The ballot was 225 to 201, with 1 Democrat, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, voting contiguous and 1 Democrat voting against it, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Nine Republicans voted successful favour of the bill.
Soon aft the vote, President Joe Biden released a connection saying he'd motion it "as soon arsenic it reaches my desk."
Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, successful what she said was apt her past level code arsenic speaker, touted the bill's spending for veterans, assistance to Ukraine and its reforms to the Electoral Count Act.
"This is genuinely a bundle for the people," Pelosi said.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is moving to beryllium talker erstwhile Republicans instrumentality power of the House successful January, attacked the measure due to the fact that it "spends excessively much" and predicted it would "[fuel] inflation." He called it a "monstrosity" and said it "is 1 of the astir shameful acts I've ever seen successful this body."
Pelosi, successful her level speech, fired backmost astatine McCarthy for this remark, saying, "I can't assistance but wonder, had helium forgotten Jan. 6?"
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) leaves the House level amid enactment connected transition of the omnibus spending bill, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C., Dec. 23, 2022.
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / REUTERS
The measure passed the Senate connected Thursday, 68 to 29, easy clearing the 60-vote threshold with backing from 18 Republicans. If the omnibus measure had not passed, backing for national agencies would person tally retired by midnight Friday.
Final transition successful the Senate came hours aft Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an statement to implicit enactment connected the bundle successful the coming hours. He urged senators not to stray acold from the Senate enclosure successful bid to hasten the process, since they voted archetypal connected a slew of amendments.
"It's taken a portion but it is worthy it," helium said. "We cognize the tempest is coming, we privation to person radical some get the measure done but past beryllium capable to spell location erstwhile we person done our work."
The breakthrough came aft the sweeping program to money national agencies done Sept. 30 was held up by an contented related to Title 42, the pandemic-era measurement that allowed for the expulsion of migrants connected public-health grounds. Republicans person sought to widen the measure, which was acceptable to expire Wednesday, before Chief Justice John Roberts granted a impermanent intermission pending further ineligible enactment connected ending Title 42. The Department of Justice countered by asking the tribunal to quash the GOP bid to widen the measure.
The Senate's information of the mammoth measurement began hours aft its text, spanning much than 4,100 pages, was unveiled by appropriations leaders successful some chambers aboriginal Tuesday morning. The culmination of months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, the authorities funds national agencies done fiscal twelvemonth 2023, which ends Sept. 30.
Antiwar protesters show extracurricular the U.S. Capitol arsenic President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is acceptable to present an code earlier a associated gathering of Congress, connected December 21, 2022 successful Washington, D.C.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The spending program includes $772.5 cardinal for home priorities, and $858 cardinal for defense. The measure besides includes astir $40 cardinal successful catastrophe alleviation for communities recovering from hurricanes, wildfires, drought and different earthy disasters, reforms to the Electoral Count Act and a prohibition connected TikTok connected national agencies' devices, among a slew of different projects for lawmakers.
The Senate approved amendments to the spending measure that support nursing mothers, let the U.S. to transportation proceeds from seized Russian oligarch assets to Ukraine, and necessitate employers to supply "reasonable accommodations" for large women successful the workplace.
Crucially, and arsenic Russia continues its attacks connected Ukraine's vigor infrastructure, the bundle provides an further $45 cardinal successful exigency assistance for Ukraine successful its continued fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a associated gathering of Congress Wednesday nighttime astatine the U.S. Capitol, and urged Congress to walk the other funding.
"It is successful your powerfulness truly to assistance america bring to justness everyone who started this unprovoked and transgression war," Zelenskyy told Congress. "Let's bash it."
Zelenskyy's astonishment visit, his archetypal clip extracurricular of Ukraine since Russia's penetration successful February, was a daring one, fixed the aggregate attempts connected his beingness since the warfare began.
But his quality besides came successful the waning days of the existent Congress, which has been steadfast successful the request for the U.S. to supply military, humanitarian and economical assistance to Ukraine. With Republicans poised to instrumentality power of the House adjacent month, and immoderate GOP lawmakers questioning the request for continued backing for Ukraine, it's uncertain whether different exigency alleviation bundle would wide some chambers.
Ahead of Zelenskyy's speech, Schumer said that erstwhile helium met with the Ukrainian president, helium "made wide that without this assistance package, the Ukrainians volition beryllium successful occupation and could adjacent suffer the war."
The precocious enclosure voted Tuesday nighttime to beforehand the legislation, with backing from a wide borderline of Senate Republicans. Still, GOP senators person objected to the size of the bundle and velocity with which it's being moved done Congress, arguing they were fixed small clip to work done a measure spanning much than 4,000 pages.
Support from astatine slightest 10 GOP senators was needed for it to wide the Senate earlier the program is taken up by the House, and 21 Republicans voted to statesman statement connected the measurement Tuesday.
In an 11th-hour effort to deter Senate Republicans from voting successful favour of the legislation, known arsenic an omnibus bill, a radical of 31 House Republicans sent a letter to their colleagues threatening to reason the legislative priorities of immoderate GOP legislator who supported the package.
"Voting successful favour of this measure is simply a dereliction of our work connected each counts," they warned.
Still, Senate leaders praised the woody reached by Democratic and Republican appropriations leaders successful some chambers, the past brokered by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama earlier they retire.
The omnibus spending bundle was the last measure taken up by the Democrat-controlled Congress, and lawmakers faced a Friday deadline to o.k. backing for national agencies oregon endure a partial authorities shutdown. President Biden signed into instrumentality past week a short-term hold of authorities funding, which allowed lawmakers to proceed negotiating the details of the $1.7 trillion plan.
Adding to the urgency for Congress was the approaching wintertime tempest that has begun to snarl vacation travel. Schumer connected Wednesday pushed the Senate to determination rapidly and warned senators against slowing down the process.
"I impulse my colleagues not to basal successful the mode of moving this process forward," helium said. "Nobody wants a shutdown. Nobody benefits from a shutdown, and truthful I anticipation cipher present volition hold this process to money authorities ASAP."
While Republicans successful the House and Senate balked astatine the package's size and had been pushing for spending talks to beryllium pushed to January, erstwhile the enactment takes power of the House and tin request spending cuts, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for its approval.
"This is an awesome result for the Republican negotiators, and much importantly, it is the result that our state really needs to support helping Ukraine and our different friends, to support retired innovating and outcompeting Russia and China and to support our brave men and women successful azygous equipped with the champion training, tools, and technologies the satellite has ever seen," helium said connected the Senate level Tuesday.
The White House, too, supports the bundle and said successful a connection it includes investments that beforehand a scope of nationalist priorities and advocated its passage.
"This bipartisan authorities demonstrates erstwhile much that some parties tin travel unneurotic to present for the American radical and marque advancement connected captious priorities for the nation," it said. "The measure advances cutting-edge probe connected crab and different diseases, makes communities safer, delivers for America's veterans, supports the Ukrainian people, helps communities recovering from devastating earthy disasters, invests successful kid attraction and education, and more."
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