Biden signs $1.7 trillion bill funding government operations

Agencies | Washington

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating through the end of the federal budget year in September 2023.

The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill 225-201, mostly along party lines, just before Christmas, reports AP.

The House vote came a day after the Senate, also led by Democrats, voted 68-29 to pass the bill with significantly more Republican support.

The funding bill includes a roughly 6% increase in spending for domestic initiatives, to $772.5 billion. Spending on defense programs will increase by about 10%, to $858 billion.

Passage was achieved hours before financing for federal agencies was set to expire.

Lawmakers had approved two short-term spending measures to keep the government operating, and a third, funding the government through Dec. 30, passed last Friday.

Biden signed it to ensure services would continue until Congress sent him the full-year measure, called an omnibus bill.

The massive bill, which topped out at more than 4,000 pages, wraps together 12 appropriations bills, aid to Ukraine and disaster relief for communities recovering from natural disasters.

It also contains scores of policy changes that lawmakers worked to include in the final major bill considered by that session of Congress.