US Senate Passes $1.7 Trillion Budget Bill

The budget bill to fund the US federal government through September 30, 2023, the end of fiscal year 2023, passed by a vote of 68-29.

With the interim budget passed last week set to expire on December 23, the next stop for the Senate-approved budget bill will be the House of Representatives.

If passed in the House of Representatives, the 4,155-page budget bill will go to President Joe Biden for his signature.

If Biden signs the budget bill into law before midnight tomorrow, the federal government will not be able to shut down due to lack of funds.

ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET

The draft budget, which was agreed upon after months of negotiations, includes a defense budget of $858 billion.

The budget bill in question also includes $45 billion in military, humanitarian, and economic aid to Ukraine.

The regulation to ban federal government employees from downloading TikTok on state devices is also in the budget bill.

In addition, the budget bill allocates approximately $40 billion to help communities across the country recover from natural disasters such as droughts, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. (AA)