WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reached an agreement early Wednesday on a massive $1.5 trillion spending bill — including $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, and additional funding for the pandemic — to keep the government's doors open for the next six months.
The bill includes more than $4 billion to assist Ukraine and others in eastern Europe grappling with the millions of refugees fleeing the former Soviet republic after it was invaded two weeks ago by Russia. Nearly $7 billion would cover the transfer of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine and its allies, as well as the deployment of American troops and equipment to other countries in the region. President Joe Biden has said he would not send troops to Ukraine. Such a move could spark a broader conflict between the U.S. and Russia.
"This bill responds to Russia's unprovoked war of aggression [and] vicious invasion of Ukraine with $13.6 billion in emergency assistance to support the people of Ukraine and their neighbors," said House Appropriations Chairperson Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
The 2,741-page bill, which funds the government through the end of the fiscal year, is expected to be approved by the House today and by the Senate later this week. The government runs out of funding on Friday evening without further action. It is uncertain whether delays in the Senate would prompt a brief shutdown, so the House also planned to enact a short-term measure to prevent that.
Overwhelming bipartisan support for getting the Ukraine money out the door quickly enough to be effective propelled agreement on the rest of the bill. Congress hasn't been able to enact a fulsome spending agreement since Oct. 1.
The bill also directs $15.6 billion to continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic with additional vaccines, testing and treatment at home and abroad. Republicans say the spending is redirected from prior COVID-19 bills and doesn't represent new spending.
The money would "protect and treat against new variants, avoid shutdowns and fight the virus abroad," Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "This makes it far more likely that if and when a new variant hits, the country will be able to maintain this new normal."
The bill is stocked with other measures, including the first use of earmarks — or money targeted at specific projects — since 2011. Among its other policies is the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, money for Biden's "cancer moonshot" to cure the disease and a boost in Pell grants for students. It also calls for a plaque to be placed on the west front of the Capitol honoring the police officers who responded to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Democrats are relieved to see a 6.7% boost in domestic spending over the most recent spending agreements enacted under the Trump administration. Republicans countered with a 5.6% increase in defense spending.
