The U.S. House of Representatives quickly passed a huge government spending bill of $1.7 trillion, including $45 billion in Ukraine aid funds and an election law reform plan. After President Biden signs it into law, it will keep the government running until September next year.

The U.S. House of Representatives quickly passed a huge government spending bill of 1.7 trillion US dollars, including 45 billion US dollars in Ukraine aid funds and an election law reform plan. After President Biden signed it into law, it will maintain the government's operations until September next year.

According to AFP report, the House of Representatives passed the comprehensive spending bill on Friday (December 23) with a vote of 225 in favor and 201 against; 10 Republican representatives joined the Democratic camp to vote in favor.

The Senate voted to pass the bill on Thursday, the last bill passed by both chambers after two years of Democratic control.

U.S. President Biden issued a statement saying: "This bill further proves that Republicans and Democrats can work together to serve the American people, and I look forward to continued progress between the two parties in the coming year."

The 4,155-page bill passed by both houses of Congress across party lines includes about $772.5 billion for domestic projects in the United States, an increase of about 6%; $858 billion for national defense, an increase of about 10%; and funding for federal agencies in the fiscal year ending at the end of September next year.

The bill would also provide $45 billion in wartime aid to Ukraine.

In addition, the bill was also passed to amend the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to completely reform federal election law. This move is intended to prevent the recurrence of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.

htmlThe $11.7 trillion government spending bill was negotiated by senior leaders from both parties in the Senate, including Minority Leader McConnell, but the bill also showed serious differences between Republicans in the two chambers.

Republican California Representative McCarthy, who is seeking to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the new Congress, criticized the government spending bill and its drafting process. He believed that it cost too much and said that the bill was "a slap in the face to every American voter."

source丨Lianhe Zaobao