Senate Democrats Push Passage of Omnibus Spending Bill

The spending bill for fiscal 2022—the first omnibus of the Biden presidency—had yet to be sent to the Senate as of midday Thursday because House clerks were busy processing the paperwork and scrutinizing the measure to make sure each page of the more than 2,700-page bill reflects the final version of the bill.

“Once this bill arrives at the Senate, Republicans must work with Democrats to pass the bill as soon as possible, hopefully tonight,” Mr. Schumer said. “There’s every reason in the world to believe we can arrive at a path forward quickly,” he said, highlighting the aid to Ukraine.

Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.), who as the Republican whip is responsible for counting Republican votes, told reporters that the chances of passing the bill Thursday were “better than even,” saying that the timing hinged on Democrats’ willingness to take votes on about four Republican amendments, including one related to vaccine mandates.

“If the Dems are agreeable and willing to take those votes, then I think we can probably conclude with that today,” Mr. Thune told reporters.

The bill provides $730 billion in nondefense funding, a $46 billion increase over fiscal 2021, and $782 billion in defense funding, an increase of $42 billion, consistent with a principle both parties have aimed at in recent years of maintaining parity in spending increases for defense and nondefense spending. It excludes measures that Democrats had earlier pushed, such as the removal of a longstanding ban on using federal funding for most abortions, and for the first time in a decade, it includes funding for projects favored by individual lawmakers, or earmarks.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said that “this agreement delivers both the urgent aid the Ukrainians need right now and the down payment on our commitment to keep defending America and global peace in the years to come.”

If all Senate Republicans share that sentiment and none object, the bill could come up for a vote on Thursday. In the event that some Republicans want to debate the legislation, the Senate could move to approve a stopgap bill—which cleared the House Wednesday—to fund the government through March 15 and avoid a partial government shutdown.

The government is currently funded through Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

Mr. Biden has said the U.S. military won’t enter Ukraine, but the U.S. has stepped up support for the country and for allies on the border. The omnibus spending bill includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, including more than $3 billion for European Command operations mission support, the deployment of personnel to the region and intelligence support. It also includes $2.65 billion through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s disaster-assistance program to provide emergency food aid, healthcare and other needs.

Write to Siobhan Hughes at [email protected]