Washington – Congress leaders reached a bipartisan agreement early Wednesday in which they provided $ 13.6 billion to help Ukraine and its European allies plus billions more to fight the pandemic as part of a $ 1.5 trillion overdue measure to fund federal agencies for the rest of this year.
Although a small part of the massive bill, the money that responds to the blitzkrieg rus this has devastated parts of Ukraine and caused The worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II assured strong bipartisan support for the legislation. President Joe Biden had called for $ 10 billion in military, humanitarian and economic aid last week, and Democratic and Republican support was so strong that the figure rose to $ 12 billion on Monday and $ 13.6 billion alone. a day later.
“We will support them against tyranny, oppression and violent acts of submission,” Biden told the White House.
Party leaders expected to release the 2,741-page measure in the House on Wednesday and in the Senate over the weekend, although the exact timing of that House was unclear. Lawmakers were encouraged by the urgency of helping Ukraine before the Russian army arrived too late.
They were also facing a deadline on Friday to approve the government-wide spending measure or face a federal closure during the weekend election year. In support of the delays, the House was scheduled to pass a bill on Wednesday to keep agencies afloat until March 15, said a Democratic House aide who was not authorized to publicly describe the plans and spoke under condition of anonymity.
“The war in Europe has focused the energies of Congress on doing something and doing it quickly,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y.
The bipartisan demonstration behind the aid package in Ukraine was just a demonstration of Congress’ desire to help the besieged country, although not everything has been harmonious.
Republicans accused Mr Biden of moving too slowly to help Ukraine and the NATO nations that helped him, and of imposing sanctions on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. They have also used the crisis to amplify their momentum for years to ease drilling restrictions on federal lands and to oppose Democrats’ attempts to curb heavy carbon fuels that worsen climate change.
A bipartisan push to ban Russian oil imports had grown perhaps unstoppably before Mr. Biden announced on Tuesday that he would do it on his own. Democrats said it took time to bring in European allies who are heavily dependent on Russian energy sources. They also noted that there are many drills available on non-federal land.
By the time the $ 1.5 trillion measure was released, some details of a bill with victories for both sides had already emerged.
Democrats earned $ 15.6 billion for a new round of spending on vaccines, testing and treatment for COVID-19, including $ 5 billion to fight the pandemic worldwide. That was below Mr. Biden’s $ 22.5 billion request.
Republicans said they had forced Democrats to pay the full amount by withdrawing unspent money from past legislation. The money would come from previously approved spending to combat COVID-19 and help states cope with the costs of the pandemic, said one person who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the law publicly.
Schumer said there would be money for Mr. Biden’s “Moonshot Cancer” to find a cure for the disease and to increase Skin Scholarships for lower-income college students. It has not yet been decided whether to include programs to protect women from domestic violence and strengthen the country’s cybersecurity, Schumer said.
The overall measure was aimed at increasing overall defense and domestic spending from last year’s levels, although exact figures were not yet available. GOP No. 2 Leader of the Senate John Thune of South Dakota said Republicans were happy with the Army’s momentum.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said the measure would provide loan guarantees to Poland to help it replace the planes it is sending to Ukraine. “It’s been like gritting your teeth” to get Democrats to accept a portion of the spending on defense, he said. But he added: “It’s an important step. It needs to be approved. It needs to be approved quickly.”
Senator Ben Cardin, D-Md., A sponsor of a bipartisan effort to win billions to help the pandemic-battered restaurant industry, said the initiative had not survived due to opposition from the GOP.
House leaders hoped the House could pass legislation Wednesday, sending it to the Senate. The debate there could last for days.
Since the government’s fiscal year began last October 1, agencies have been using the spending levels approved during Donald Trump’s last few weeks in the White House. Congress has passed three short-term bills since then keeping the doors of agencies open.
Last week, eight Conservative Republican senators wrote to Schumer saying lawmakers “should not vote on it” until they have had time to read the bill and for a full study of its costs by the U.S. Non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
“There are some senators who will not agree on anything, anytime, anywhere,” said House Democratic No. 2 leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., “Which is frustrating.”
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