Lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a sprawling government spending package that would keep the government open through September.
Per the Associated Press, the $1.7 trillion spending bill, called an omnibus, includes another large round of aid to Ukraine, a nearly 10 percent boost in defense spending, and roughly $40 billion to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
The 4,155-page measure will give Ukraine about $45 billion in emergency assistance, said Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The two parties’ leaders did agree to stitch onto the measure a wide array of long-simmering and stalled bills, recognizing the omnibus marks their final major legislative opening before Congress resets in the new year, reports the Washington Post.
Not all Republicans are happy with the spending package, arguing that the talks should have been postponed until January when the party assumes control of the House.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the chamber’s minority leader, who is vying to become speaker next year, blasted his counterparts in the Senate for engaging Democrats at all.
“Republicans are about to literally give the Biden administration a blank check,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
“The choice is clear: We can either do our jobs and fund the government, or we can abandon our responsibilities without a real path forward,” said Senator Leahy reports the New York Times, calling the bill “undoubtedly in the interest of the American people.”
