1 year ago
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Priorities, priorities. Congressional negotiators released a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill early Tuesday, and the bill’s spending for the next year is a clear show of priorities: $858 billion for the military over the next year, and $772 billion for nondefense spending … of which $119 billion is for veterans’ care. That counts as not-military, you see. The long-term costs imposed by their military service, which the government correctly covers, get shifted over to compete with every domestic priority as Republicans try to keep that number low. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell counts it as a major win for Republicans that defense spending is higher than everything else.
The bill includes $44.9 billion in aid for Ukraine and $40.6 billion in relief for disasters like the hurricanes that hit Florida and Puerto Rico.
It also includes the Electoral Count Act, which, in response to Donald Trump’s attempted coup, makes crystal clear that the vice president cannot refuse to certify an election and increases the number of lawmakers required to object to certifying a state’s electors.
The bill does not include some key things: pandemic aid, an expanded child tax credit, cannabis banking legislation, and a corporate tax cut allowing businesses to write off research expenses immediately.
