The House is expected to vote on Wednesday to pass a package of six government funding bills as lawmakers race the clock to get the legislation through both chambers before an end of the week shutdown deadline.
The move comes as lawmakers face a pair of upcoming shutdown deadlines on March 8 and March 22. President Joe Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday evening, further compressing the timeframe to enact the package. The Senate must take up the measure after the House acts.
The finalized package of spending bills – backed by the top Democrats and Republicans in both chambers – represents a major breakthrough for lawmakers. After months of averting shutdowns at the eleventh hour with stopgap bills, Congress is now finally on the verge of passing updated legislation to fund critical government departments and agencies.
Democrats and Republicans have both claimed wins in the spending package, which includes funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction and other federal programs.
The package will support a wide array of programs and initiatives, including hiring new air traffic controllers and rail safety inspectors; medical care and benefits for veterans; and science, technology and research programs aimed at bolstering US economic competitiveness and competition with China in fields such as artificial intelligence.
Democrats have highlighted that the package safeguards key social safety net programs, including the WIC program, which provides nutrition assistance for women, infants and children.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement on the…
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