The Senate voted to pass a $1.66 trillion omnibus spending bill Thursday afternoon with only a day remaining before a deadline that could partially shut down the government.
Eighteen Republicans joined all 48 Democrats and two independents in passing the bill, which must still pass through the House before it arrives on President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. The final vote was 68-29.
If approved, the bill will extend government funding through September 30, 2023. It had been delayed for weeks as lawmakers argued over its proposals, which included funding around immigration, emergency disaster assistance and military aid to Ukraine.
Before the Senate voted, former President Donald Trump slammed members of the Republican party for their potential help in passing the bill in a video message posted to Truth Social. Trump specifically targeted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted in favor of the bill.
Trump had urged all members of his party to vote against the bill and called the bill a "disaster" for the Republican Party since Republican senators could have stopped it. Trump also criticized Democrats for pushing the bill through Congress before Republicans take control of the House in the new year.
However, McConnell thought the bill was a win for Republicans because it increased the nation's defense budget by nearly 10 percent, according to an article by The Hill. Nondefense and nonveteran spending received a more than 5 percent bump, totaling $772 billion.
"The world's greatest military will get the funding increase that it needs, outpacing inflation. Meanwhile, nondefense, nonveterans spending will come in below the rate of inflation, for a real-dollar cut," McConnell said on the Senate floor, according to The Hill.
If it is signed into law, the bill will direct $19.8 billion toward Ukraine and NATO military aid and an additional $12.9 billion to help the Ukrainian economy as it battles through the Russia-Ukraine war, The Hill added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited with Congress yesterday to ask for more funding.
Democrats maintain control of the House until the new year, so the bill is expected to pass there as well.
The House is expected to vote on the bill Thursday night or Friday morning. Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman tweeted that since the Senate added several items to the bill, it could "take a while to process and get to the House."
🚨🚨 THE SENATE has passed the omnibus, 68-29.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 22, 2022
A large bipartisan vote for the spending bill, which keeps government funded through Sept. 30, 2023.
House has to pass the bill. Senate added a good deal to the bill today so it will take a while to process and get to the House.
Here is a full list of Republican senators who voted in favor of the bill:
- Roy Blunt (Missouri)
- John Boozman (Arkansas)
- Shelley Capito (West Virginia)
- Susan Collins (Maine)
- John Cornyn (Texas)
- Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
- Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
- Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma)
- Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)
- Jerry Moran (Kansas)
- Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
- Rob Portman (Ohio)
- Mitt Romney (Utah)
- Mike Rounds (South Dakota)
- Richard Shelby (Alabama)
- John Thune (South Dakota)
- Roger Wicker (Mississippi)
- Todd Young (Indiana)
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