U.S. House passes $1.7 trillion bill funding government through September, sending it to Biden

WASHINGTON — On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.7 trillion bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year 225, in time for the midnight deadline to avoid a partial federal agency shutdown. Passed by 201 vs.

Overall, the act provides $772.5 billion for nondefense discretionary programs and $858 billion for defense funding. summary It was announced earlier this week by a Senate committee. The figures show that non-defense spending increased by about 5%, and Pentagon and Defense spending increased by 8% over his.

The funding bill passed the US Senate on Thursday by a vote of 68-29.Now that it has been approved by the House of Representatives, the bill will be sent to the President. Joe Bidenhe said he was eager to sign it into law.

The bill’s approval in the House and Senate, which passed with support from both Republicans and Democrats, represents the latest bipartisan victory for Biden, who won many legislative branches last year. increase.

It’s also the House Speaker’s last major achievement Nancy Pelosispeakership. California Democrats are set to step down as leaders in the next Congress. By passing a federal spending package, Pelosi ensured government funding levels were locked in while Democrats ruled the House. On January 3, Republicans take over the House.

These guaranteed funding levels include $44.9 billion in military, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine. That total includes funds sent by the United States to Ukraine to replenish the Pentagon’s arms stockpile, as well as additional aid to NATO allies.

The House vote came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington and delivered a historic speech at a special joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Donning his uniform and boots, he urged lawmakers to continue funding his country’s “war of independence” against the invading Russian forces.

In addition to helping Ukraine, the measure provides $40 billion in new funding for state and tribal reservations to help communities recover from natural disasters such as wildfires and major storms. It also bans the use of Tik Tok on government devices and makes it easier for Americans to save for retirement, including $1 billion in aid to poor countries struggling with climate change.

It also includes several new amendments approved by the Senate on Thursday. It would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers, similar to how the Americans with Disabilities Act is implemented.

Another notable amendment is to update the Merger fee structure so that smaller mergers pay lower fees and larger mergers pay higher fees.

However, not all of the Funding Bill’s provisions are directly related to government funding.

Part of the law states that former presidents donald trump And his allies tried to use it to reverse Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

The new version clarifies that the Vice President’s role in certifying state electoral votes is entirely ceremonial and has no power to deny electoral votes certified by individual states.

In 2020, Trump repeatedly pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify Biden’s electoral votes. , became the target of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol that day.