Lawmakers Reveal Text Of $1.2T Spending Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have released the details of the newest $1.2 trillion government funding bill negotiated by the Biden administration and leaders of both political parties.
The new spending deal, which was announced on Tuesday, includes funding for the departments of Homeland Security, State, Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services.
However, those federal agencies listed are scheduled to shut down on Saturday if the funding package is not passed by Friday night and it’s unclear if Congress has enough time to pass it before the deadline.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) applauded the package in a statement on Thursday, saying “House Republicans have achieved significant conservative policy wins” during this year’s appropriations process.
“This FY24 appropriations legislation is a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission while expanding support for our brave men and women who serve in uniform,” Johnson said. “Importantly, it halts funding for the United Nations agency which employed terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel.”
Additionally, the new deal will also include a ban on all direct U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees. Johnson also said the latest funding will increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention capacity from 34,000 to 42,000 beds, and provides more funding for almost 22,000 Border Patrol agents.
“In addition, the bipartisan agreement reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security moves the Department’s operations toward enforcing our border and immigration laws,” Johnson’s statement read. “It significantly cuts funding to NGOs that incentivize illegal immigration and increases detention capacity and the number of Border Patrol agents to match levels in the House-passed appropriations bill and the Secure the Border Act.”
“Overall, during the FY24 appropriations process, House Republicans have achieved significant conservative policy wins, rejected extreme Democrat proposals, and imposed substantial cuts to wasteful agencies and programs while strengthening border security and national defense,” Johnson added.
Once the House passes the bill, the Senate then will require unanimous consent to vote quickly.
“Once the House sends us a funding package, I will put it on the floor of the Senate without delay,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), said on the floor. “We haven’t had a government shutdown since 2019. There’s no good reason for us to have one this week.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.), said, “Congress has secured a path forward to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which will allow us to complete the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, if the bill is not passed, it would likely only impact a limited number of government operations if funding were to be restored before the end of the weekend.
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