If that happens, “in the end there ought to be a pretty big vote” for the overall bill, Thune said. They also said the $22.5 billion figure could fall, though that remained unclear. Thune said negotiators seemed ready to pay for pandemic expenditures with unspent COVID-19 money, and aides said talks were moving that way. Republicans have objected that such additional spending should come from unspent funds from previous COVID-19 relief bills Congress has enacted, which totaled over $5 trillion. He said the strong backing for that assistance would benefit the overall $1.5 trillion legislation because it would “help keep this thing moving.”īiden also proposed another $22.5 billion to continue bolstering government efforts against the pandemic. “There’s a real sense of urgency" about the Ukraine aid, Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. Support for Ukraine has deep bipartisan support in Congress, and only last week President Joe Biden asked lawmakers for $10 billion to help the beleaguered country.
John Thune said he was aware of numbers “in that range.” Aides from both parties said the assistance was growing. That lapses this weekend, and an election-year federal shutdown would occur without more money.Īsked about the new $12 billion figure for Ukraine, No. 1, when the government's fiscal year began. The legislation would increase spending for defense and domestic programs, though lawmakers haven't said yet by how much.Īgencies have run on temporary authority since Oct. The apparent growth of the Ukraine aid also illustrated eleventh-hour negotiations underway among lawmakers as they try completing the long overdue $1.5 trillion government spending measure by Friday.
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