Senate passes $1.7-trillion funding bill with bipartisan support
Washington DC - The Senate overwhelmingly passed the mammoth $1.7-trillion fiscal 2023 spending package in a burst of activity on the floor Thursday after finally nailing down an amendments deal it took all day Wednesday and into the morning to hammer out.
The vote was 68-29 in support of the 4,155-page legislation. It includes the dozen annual spending bills for every federal agency, more aid for the war in Ukraine and natural disaster victims, and a series of unrelated policies ranging from retirement savings incentives to driftnet fishing regulations.
"This is one of the most significant appropriations packages we have done in a very long time," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before final passage. "The range of people it helps is large and deep."
The package includes $858 billion in defense spending, a nearly 10% increase over the previous fiscal year, and $787 billion in non-defense spending, close to an 8% increase.
It also would provide roughly $85 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine and disaster relief.
Congress still might have to pass a stopgap measure
Passage in the Senate paves the way for the House to clear the legislation ahead of government spending running out at midnight on Friday.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said midday Thursday she hoped the House could pass the measure on Thursday night, though that depended on how long it took the Senate to send the amended version across the Capitol.
Most of the amendment attempts were unsuccessful, but several were tacked on.
It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take to package up all the amended paperwork for transmittal to the House. And even after the House clears the bill, it will take time for the measure to be enrolled for Pelosi's signature, the last step before it's ready to go to the White House.
So with Christmas fast approaching, it's possible a very short-term stopgap measure to buy a few extra days could be needed, with the latest continuing resolution expiring at midnight Friday.
Cover photo: REUTERS