(FamilyConservationPAC.com) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Thursday that a deal had been reached to move the $1.7 trillion Omnibus Package forward before the Christmas holiday weekend.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Democrats have been scrambling to pass the omnibus package before a self-imposed deadline.
However, negotiations became difficult after Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) Title 42 amendment put a monkey wrench in the Senate procedure.
As a result, many opponents of the agreement believed Congress would be compelled to approve a continuous resolution (CR) to fund the government.
At the same time, negotiations between Democrats over Lee’s proposal continued.
Conservative House Republicans would get a major win if Congress supported a short-term CR to keep the government open until February.
In the new Congress, House Republicans would be better positioned to scuttle many of the ideas in the extensive spending measure if the omnibus package were defeated.
However, Schumer has devised a procedural maneuver to get around Lee’s amendment and ensure that the large bill gets passed before Christmas.
Reports suggest that Schumer has developed a Title 42 side-by-side amendment that is intended to override Lee’s proposal by allowing Democrats and Republicans to cast separate votes.
According to Schumer, the strategy will enable the $1.7 trillion spending package to pass the Senate on Thursday, allowing senators to leave the country before Christmas and as he says, “give them time to do some shopping”.
The bill will go before the House for approval when the Senate votes. If both chambers pass the measure, President Joe Biden will sign it into law:
NEWS: Schumer says there is an agreement on amendments and they will pass the Omnibus today. They will start soon, hoping to get out of town soon to avoid storm-related travel delays.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) December 22, 2022
Takeaways From the $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill
The bill increases non-defense discretionary spending by around 5.5% overall, which is less than the 10% increase President Biden had asked for and the 6.7% increase in fiscal 2022. Defense expenditure will grow by 10% to $858 billion, well beyond the 4% increase that Biden had requested.
The bill would give $1.7 trillion in discretionary money, of which $772.5 billion would go to domestic agencies, and $858 billion would be allocated to the Pentagon and related programs. Democrats’ aim of equalizing budget increases for both sides fell short.
Additionally, it would allocate $41 billion for disaster relief and $45 billion for help to Ukraine.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said, “This process stinks. It’s an abomination.”
I brought along the 1.7 trillion, 4,000+ page Pelosi-Schumer omnibus spending bill that's being fast-tracked through the Senate. This process stinks. It's an abomination. It's a no good rotten way to run government. We're standing up and saying NO. pic.twitter.com/Wom6xKEeQh
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 20, 2022
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