Congress Passes Spending Bill with $12 Billion in Ukraine Funding, $3 Billion for Biden’s Afghans

The House passed on Friday a stop-gap spending bill that would fund the government through mid-December. The bill also grants $12 billion for Ukraine aid and $3 billion for President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan refugees.

The House voted to pass a stop-gap spending bill, otherwise known as a continuing resolution (CR), that would fund the government through mid-December, setting up an end-of-year government spending fight.

If Congress failed to pass the CR, the government would shut down at the end of Friday.

The House passed the bill 230-201, featuring strong Democrat support for the bill, and limited Republican support for the CR.

While the CR would continue funding the government through the fall and part of winter, it would also provide:

• $12.3 billion in economic and military aid to Ukraine
• $1 billion for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP)
• $2.5 billion in funding for New Mexico to recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire
• $20 million for water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi
• a five-year reauthorization of FDA user fees
• $3 billion for the State Department to facilitate Afghan resettlement, and the FBI would receive $15 million to vet Afghan refugees
• $35 million to prepare and respond to “potential and radiological incidents in Ukraine”

Ahead of the House vote, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) called out 22 Senate Republicans for voting for the CR, as it would not solve America’s border crisis. He noted that the CR would fund non-government organizations (NGO) that traffic migrants across the United States, and effectively funds illegal migration:

Roy said, “What the hell kind of a country are we living in?!”

He added, “This isn’t freedom— and we’re funding it! And Republicans are complicit!”

While 22 Senate Republicans voted in favor of the CR, few House Republicans voted for the stop-gap spending bill.

Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Steve Womack (R-AR), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Fred Upton (R-MI), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Garret Graves (R-LA) voted for the bill.

While Senate Republican leadership voted for the CR, House Republican leadership whipped against the bill.

The bill goes to Biden’s desk, where he will sign it, and the government will avert a government shutdown.