The United States government was funded by a $1.7 trillion spending bill on Thursday by President Joe Biden, according to a statement from the White House.
Reuters reports that while on vacation on the Caribbean island of St. Croix, Biden signed the legislation that was approved by Congress last week.
“It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, (Violence Against Women Act) funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine,” Biden wrote in a tweet, adding: “Looking forward to more in 2023.”
The measure contains record military spending, emergency relief to Ukraine, increased support for kids with disabilities, more funds to promote workers’ rights, more job-training opportunities, and more affordable housing for families, veterans, and people escaping domestic abuse, CNN reports.
With the backing of 18 of the 50 Senate Republicans, the law was approved by the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 68-29. On a mainly partisan-line vote of 225-201, it was approved by the House of Representatives.
Several elements that certain politicians had lobbied to add were not included in the 4000+ pages bill. Numerous more business and individual tax advantages, along with an increase in the child tax credit, were not included in the final law.
The Safe Banking Act, which would have allowed cannabis businesses to bank their cash reserves, as well as a plan to assist Afghan refugees in the US in obtaining legal permanent status, failed to pass.
Additionally, the White House’s proposal for an extra $10 billion in financing for the COVID response was not included in the spending agreement, per CNN.
The protracted discussions between the top congressional Democrats and Republicans resulted in the budget package, which will keep the government running until September – the end of the fiscal year.
The government was initially funded indefinitely under a continuing resolution that Congress originally enacted on September 30 to start the fiscal year 2023, which began on October 1.
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