WASHINGTON -- Congress gave final approval on Thursday to a $1.4 trillion government spending package that would fund domestic programs across the government, and carried many unrelated provisions that would repeal three health care taxes and raise the age to purchase tobacco products to 21 nationally.
With government funding set to lapse today, the Senate rushed to pass two packages of spending legislation -- allocating $1.4 trillion in federal spending -- in time for lawmakers to leave for a scheduled holiday break. Lawmakers approved the first set of bills, stuffed with billions of dollars for nondefense programs and a number of additions, by a vote of 71-23.
They approved the second piece of legislation -- four bills that outline both defense and national security spending -- later Thursday afternoon, by a vote of 81-11. President Donald Trump, who vowed never to sign another catchall spending package, has not formally said whether he would sign the two measures, but the administration has indicated that he will do so in order to avoid a lapse in funding.
The split-their-differences legislation carried a large number of unrelated provisions into law, drawing protests from fiscal conservatives. It would put in place an earlier spending deal that reversed unpopular and unworkable automatic spending cuts to defense and domestic programs -- at a $1.6 trillion or so cost over the coming decade.
"These spending bills are a fiscal dumpster fire," said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. "This is embarrassing."
The initial package approved Thursday includes $25 million in funding for gun-violence research, the first time in more than two decades that such funding will be provided, and a number of provisions supported by both parties. It includes provisions to fortify pensions and health care benefits for coal miners, repeals three unpopular health care taxes first outlined in the Affordable Care Act and extends a number of tax breaks.
Those measures -- plus the specter of another Christmastime government shutdown after the one that began almost exactly a year ago and stretched into January, becoming the nation's longest -- helped smooth the path to completion of the spending deal, after months of disputes between Republicans and Democrats that had delayed an agreement.
"As the clock winds down, let's come together and do what seemed so unlikely just a month ago: fund the entire federal government before the Christmas break," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The legislation also offered business-friendly provisions on export financing, flood insurance and immigrant workers.
The bill exceeds Trump's budget requests in virtually every domestic category, except for his request for $8 billion-plus for the U.S.-Mexico wall. It was cut back to $1.4 billion, equal to last year's appropriation. The measure preserves Trump's ability to use his budget powers to tap other accounts for several times that amount. That's a blow for liberal opponents of the wall but an acceptable trade-off for Democrats who wanted to gain $27 billion in increases for domestic programs.
"I would have preferred no funding for the wall," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. "But the Republicans were clear. ... They stood with the president on the wall, as they seem to do time after time."
But the Democratic concession angered some Hispanic lawmakers. They lashed out at the head of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.
"I told [Lowey] we don't appreciate that we're going to get thrown under the bus so she can pass this omnibus, and she did exactly that," said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
The package increases spending across the almost one-third of the budget that's passed by Congress each year. Popular bipartisan programs such as health research, veterans medical care, NASA, sewer and water projects, and law enforcement grants to states and local governments would get increases. The $738 billion Pentagon budget is a record, with increases for procurement of expensive weapons systems like the F-35 fighter.
The increase in the tobacco purchasing age to 21 also applies to e-cigarettes and vaping devices. Aides familiar with the talks said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to the tobacco legislation as she also won help for unionized carpenters with lower drug costs under their health plans.
Information for this article was contributed by Emily Cochrane of The New York Times; and by Andrew Taylor of The Associated Press.
A Section on 12/20/2019