![]() A Senate Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the amendment as a poison pill that would prevent its passage in the House as progressive Democrats revolted against its inclusion. The largest sticking point in expediting the bill came when Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, demanded a vote on an amendment that would essentially tie some funds for the Department of Homeland Security to the continuation of pandemic-era border restrictions that a majority of Democrats oppose.īut enough Senate Democrats were in support of maintaining the Trump-era policy, which is known as Title 42 and allows the government to expel migrants who cross the southwestern border, that senators and aides believed the amendment would pass. ![]() Without congressional action, funding would have lapsed. The haggling over how to fast-track the legislation, on top of already drawn-out negotiations, delayed proceedings enough that the Senate also approved a one-week stopgap spending bill to ensure that the government would remain open past Friday while the broader package moved toward Mr. Zelensky’s personal plea and lawmakers’ eagerness to depart Washington before a winter storm swept across parts of the country, efforts to expedite passage of the measure stalled on Wednesday as several senators demanded the opportunity to vote on a series of amendments in a bid to secure last-minute changes or force politically freighted votes. That included Democratic hopes for a revival of an expanded monthly payment to families with children, a new round of emergency pandemic aid, a pathway to permanent legal status for Afghan refugees and bipartisan marijuana banking legislation.ĭespite Mr. There were “a lot of ups and downs, but the end: a great result that really helped the American people,” he added.Īs party leaders and senior lawmakers tried to cobble together support for the package over weeks of frenzied talks, several long-sought priorities were either curtailed or dropped. Speaking at a news conference after the vote, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, called the measure “an appropriate metaphor for the last two years.” It contains about $40 billion in emergency aid for communities recovering from disasters, a ban on the Chinese-owned app TikTok on government devices and a collection of new rules intended to help many Americans trying to save and pay for retirement. Trump and his allies sought to exploit in an effort to stop the certification of the 2020 election. The package includes a bipartisan overhaul of the 135-year-old law that former President Donald J. Shelby secured more than $762 million for Alabama, while Mr. ![]() To win the Republican votes needed for the measure to pass the Senate, Democrats agreed to a higher overall increase for military and defense programs compared with the health care, education and veterans affairs policies they champion.īoth lawmakers steered millions of dollars to their home states through earmarks, now known as community project funding, that were tucked into the bill. The bill, which funds the government through the end of September, substantially increases spending and provides $858 billion in military funding and more than $772 billion for domestic programs. Once it passes the House, President Biden is expected to sign the measure. The Senate voted 68 to 29 to send the legislation to the House, which is set to take it up on Friday. Zelensky’s daring decision to visit Washington intensified the pressure to act on the measure, which includes nearly $50 billion in assistance to Ukraine. WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday approved a roughly $1.7 trillion spending package that would fund the federal government into next fall and send another round of financial assistance to Kyiv, a day after lawmakers welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to Capitol Hill.Īpproval of the sprawling package came less than three days after it was unveiled, as lawmakers raced to avert a government shutdown and codify dozens of fiscal and legislative priorities.
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