White House Finally Passes Bill

Egg Roll
Egg Roll

The House of Representatives approved a $1.7 trillion spending bill that includes funding for the military and domestic programs but also makes no mention of President Biden’s border wall or other immigration policies.

The legislation would fund nine federal departments including Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Education — and provide a total of $77 billion in disaster relief to communities hit by hurricanes last year as well as wildfires in California this year.

But lawmakers have been unable to agree on a permanent solution for Dreamers or other undocumented immigrants who came here as children; there are no changes at all in how they will be treated under the current law if nothing is done by March 5 when their legal protections expire.

White House Gives The Nod

The procedural motion sets up the process for debating and voting on legislation with no amendments allowed. The House rejected a Democratic amendment that would have added $25 billion in funding for infrastructure projects, including ports, roads and bridges.

The bill will provide $1.375 trillion in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2022 and lift the debt ceiling until 2024, according to a summary released by House Democrats on Wednesday morning. It would also make some changes to immigration laws, including loosening restrictions on asylum seekers who cross into the US from Mexico or Canada, but it does not address family separation at US borders or President Biden’s proposed wall along parts of the border between Texas and Mexico—two issues that have been major sticking points among Democrats who have voted against previous spending bills this year

They also eased their concern about a lack of disaster aid funding in the bill by approving a supplemental aid package worth $81 billion last week as part of their effort to resolve the government shutdown stalemate. The House approved that measure on Thursday, with more than 100 Democrats voting along with Republicans in support.