The U.S. House of Representatives was poised on Wednesday for a critical series of votes that would ban U.S. imports of Russian oil, provide emergency aid to Ukraine and fund the federal government through Sept. 30.
Democrats and Republicans reached a $1.5 trillion deal overnight to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2022, including $13.6 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and $15.6 billion for U.S. COVID-19 response.
Some House Democrats, however, were balking at the distribution of aid to states under the COVID response portion of the legislation, according to a House Democratic aide.
Democratic leadership was trying to resolve the problem, which has delayed action on the House floor.
With money for the federal government due to run out at midnight Friday, the House also plans to vote on a separate measure to keep the government funded through Tuesday.
This was seen mainly as a housekeeping step so that congressional clerks would have enough time to process the $1.5 trillion “omnibus” legislation following House and Senate passage. That clerical work could extend beyond the midnight Friday deadline when existing funding expires.
Acting White House budget director Shalanda Young urged the House and Senate to act promptly to send the Ukraine aid and government funding measure to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.
“The bipartisan funding bill is proof that both parties can come together to deliver for the American people and advance critical national priorities,” Young said in a statement.
The House was also expected to vote on a bill to ban Russian energy imports. The legislation builds on Biden’s newly announced ban by including moves to review Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization. It would also renew and expand the Magnitsky human rights law to ease the way for further U.S. sanctions on Russia.
The omnibus spending plan will boost funding for domestic priorities, including money for infrastructure passed under an earlier bipartisan measure to revamp U.S. roads, bridges and broadband internet, they said.
The plan includes $730 billion in nondefense funding and $782 billion in defense funding.
“This bipartisan agreement will help us address many of the major challenges we face at home and abroad: from COVID-19, to the vicious and immoral attack on Ukraine, to the need to lower costs for hardworking American families,” U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
It also includes new protections to protect U.S. infrastructure from cyberattacks “by Russia and other bad actors.”
The measure will also reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, Pelosi and Schumer said.
