US Congress voted today to pass a massive USD 1.7 trillion spending bill that would fund critical government operations across federal agencies and provide emergency aid for Ukraine and natural disaster relief. The bill will next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
The massive spending bill for fiscal year 2023, known on Capitol Hill as an omnibus, provides USD 772.5 billion for non-defense, domestic programs and USD 858 billion in defense funding. It includes roughly USD 45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies and roughly USD 40 billion to respond to natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and flooding.
The legislative text of the package, which runs more than 4,000 pages, was released in the middle of the night on Tuesday, leaving little time for rank-and-file lawmakers, and the public, to review its contents before it came up for a vote in both chambers.
