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| Photo Credit: AP. |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed into law Friday a bill that finances the federal government through mid-December and provides another infusion of military and economic aid to Ukraine after lawmakers acted to avert a partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight.
The bill
passed the House by a vote of 230-201 earlier in the day. Republicans
overwhelmingly opposed the measure. Some wanted to extend government funding
into January when, based on the results of the midterm elections, it’s possible
they’ll have more leverage over setting federal spending for the full fiscal
year. Others argued the measure needed to do more to address border security.
Democrats
said passing the bill was important to helping Ukraine as well as victims of
recent natural disasters in the U.S., including Hurricane Ian, as it provides a
Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster fund with a year’s worth of money
up front rather than for two-and-a-half months.
“Turn on the news. Look what’s happening in
Florida right now. Look at what happened to Puerto Rico. Look at what’s
happening in Alaska. I mean, people need help,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
“And look at what’s happening in Ukraine. Do we support helping preserve
democracy in Ukraine or not? That’s what’s at stake here.”
But
Republicans complained the bill brought to the floor was not subject to
bipartisan negotiations in the House and didn’t reflect their priorities.
“We know we
have a crisis on the southern border. You can turn on the television every
night. You can look at the fentanyl pouring into the country, You can see the
tragedy of human trafficking. Is there anything in this bill that asks us to do
anything different, anything new?” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “No, you just
ask, ’please allow us to continue the current state of affairs on the southern
border.′ That is a travesty.”
In the end,
support for the bill was unanimous among Democratic lawmakers. Only 10
Republican lawmakers joined them in voting yes.
Later
Friday, former President Donald Trump responded to the bill’s passage with a
racist message on his social media platform attacking Senate Republican leader
Mitch McConnell and his Asian American wife, who also served in Trump’s
administration as a Cabinet secretary. Trump ominously wrote that McConnell has
a “death wish.”
The bill
finances the federal government through Dec. 16 and buys lawmakers more time to
agree on legislation setting spending levels for the 2023 fiscal year. The bill
generally keeps spending at current levels, though it does provide more than
$12.3 billion in Ukraine-related aid. The money will go to provide training,
equipment and logistics support for the Ukraine military, help Ukraine’s
government provide basic services to its citizens and replenish U.S. weapons
systems and munitions.
“This
contribution ensures we continue upholding our moral responsibility to support
the people of Ukraine in the face of a vicious invasion that continues to
demand decisive action by us,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic chair of
the House Appropriations Committee.
Disaster
assistance was also attached to the stopgap bill, including $2.5 billion to
help New Mexico communities recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire,
the largest wildfire in the state’s history; $2 billion for a block grant
program that aids the economic recovery of communities impacted by recent
disasters; and $20 million for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements
previously authorized for Jackson, Mississippi.
“We cannot
leave communities behind that are still picking up the pieces from disastrous
floods, wildfires and hurricane, and even basic water system failures,” said
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
The bill
would provide an additional $1 billion for a program that helps low-income
households heat their homes. And it would transfer $3 billion from a Pentagon
aid program to the State Department for continued Afghan resettlement
operations.
Lawmakers
also included a reauthorization of the Food and Drug Administration’s user fee
agreements for five years, which ensures the agency can continue critical
product safety reviews and won’t need to issue pink slips for thousands of
employees working on drug and medical device applications.
One thing
missing from the bill is the billions of dollars in additional funding that
Biden sought to aid the response to COVID-19 and monkeypox. Republicans
criticized the health spending as unnecessary. The White House said the money
would have been used to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and
therapeutics, prepare for future COVID variants and support the global
response.