United States – The US congressional leaders after several days of delay finally showcased a USD 1.1 trillion bipartisan spending bill which covers the defense, homeland security and other programs. The two houses of the Congress got less than 48 hours to avoid a shutdown.
Vote on Enormous Bill
The Republican-dominated House of Representatives will vote on the enormous bill on Friday, so the Democratic-majority Senate will have a short time to pass the packages of six bills that will make up about two-thirds of the discretionary government spending for fiscal year 2022, which is worth USD 1.66 trillion, as reported by Reuters.
“These final six bills represent a bipartisan and bicameral compromise,” said the joint statement of the two top Senate negotiators, Patty Murray, a Democrat, and Susan Collins, a Republican.
“They will invest in the American people, build a stronger economy, help keep our communities safe, and strengthen our national security and global leadership.”
Concerns Over Growing Deficits
In its assessment of the United States deficits and debt over the next 30 years, the Congressional Budget Office projected a significant worsening, forecasting that the USD 34.5 trillion national debt, representing 99% of GDP currently, could skyrocket to 166% of GDP over the same length of time.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is “hopeful” that Congress can somehow spare the disaster of a shutdown, and the two Democratic senators and Republicans need to work together on that matter.
The schedule eliminated the preservation of at least some short-term shutdown after the Friday midnight deadline, which Schumer can achieve with the Senate Republicans to proceed more rapidly with the bill.
House Speaker Lists Republican Victories
House Speaker Mike Johnson listed what he called a suite of victories by Republicans, ranging from higher defense spending to border wall funding. Moreover, the aid to the UN agency that deals with humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza was cut.
“This FY24 appropriations legislation is a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission,” Johnson said in a statement released along with the text of the legislation.
Democrats Celebrate Funding Priorities
Democrats claimed to have thwarted certain Republican policy proposals and cuts while praising funding intended to counter the widespread of the opioid drug fentanyl, help small companies, and reduce the cost of daycare.
“We defeated outlandish cuts that would have been a gut punch for American families and our economy – and we fought off scores of extreme policies that would have restricted Americans’ fundamental freedoms, hurt consumers while giving giant corporations an unfair advantage, and turned back the clock on historic climate action,” said Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Slim Majority
About two weeks ago, Congress barely failed to cut programs related to farming, transportation, and the environment.
The statement released on Thursday filled in the blanks of what was only an agreement in principle between Johnson and Schumer. President Biden, the Democratic President, has promised to sign the agreement into law.
With a narrow House Republican majority, Johnson will be relying on Democrats to get the spending bill to the Senate since Democrats have the majority in the Senate.
Some House Republicans are expected to remain against the proposal, even from those seeking heavyweight spending, as reported by Reuters.
Agencies Compete for Funding
A total of four departments, that of Homeland Security and Defense among them, would compete for the bill’s funding as well as agencies like the State Department and the Internal Revenue Service, which have just a few hours to secure the April 15 taxpayer filing deadline.