House Passes Massive Government Spending Bill, Averting Shutdown

Congress approved the $1.7 trillion bill to keep the government funded despite fierce pushback from House Republicans.

By Kaia Hubbard

Dec. 23, 2022SaveMore

More

The U.S. Capitol Building on December 22, 2022 in Washington, DC.(ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES)

The House passed a massive bill to fund the government on Friday, staving off a government shutdown just ahead of deadline, after ugly partisan bickering on the House floor that foreshadowed possible dynamics to come in the new Congress.

House Republicans hurled full-throated rebukes at Democrats over the $1.7 trillion bill, which provides $45 billion in aid for Ukraine, reforms the Electoral Count Act to clarify procedures for tabulating the presidential vote, includes funding for the PACT Act that bolsters veterans’ health care, and increases money for student Pell Grant recipients, among a number of lower-profile issues – from a ban on TikTok on government devices to an overhaul of cosmetic regulations to protections for the Maine lobster industry. The lawmakers criticized the bill as an irresponsible and bloated package that would worsen inflation and waste taxpayers’ money.