The House of Representatives just passed a massive spending bill that will fund the federal government for the coming months while also sending billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.
There had been weeks of debate regarding what should be included in the bill and eventually $15.6 billion dollars of COVID-19 relief for individuals and families was removed to gain the appropriate number of votes that would allow the bill to pass through the House. Democratic representatives expressed significant disappointment regarding the removal of COVID relief from the package which was especially difficult for representatives who promised the money to their constituents.
However, this elimination allowed the bill to pass swiftly through the House and ensured that ample money can go towards assisting Ukraine, through provisions of military equipment and aid of displaced Ukrainians, in a swift manner. The section of the bill that includes this spending passed with a 361-69 margin which reveals the widespread support and urgency for aiding Ukraine.
Other relevant provisions that passed included reinstating the Violence against Women Act and even increasing the Pell Grant amount by $400 to assist low-income students who need extra financial relief. The bill also consists of $1 billion for Biden’s cancer research initiative, $3.9 billion for state and local law enforcement, and $97.5 billion for veterans medical care. Government officials even debated topics such as reducing Pentagon spending and a number of longtime policy provisions, like the Hyde Amendment which bans federal funding for most abortions, yet many of those topics remained unchanged despite Democratic push.
Many senators have expressed concern regarding how quickly a bill of that magnitude passed the House without sufficient deliberation which will be an issue if senators possess too many concerns that prevent them from passing the bill in time. In order to avoid a government shutdown, Congress is now expected to vote and pass the bill by Tuesday which gives them a slim margin of one week to deliberate.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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