The U.S. Senate passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill Thursday aiming to avoid a government shutdown deadline of midnight Friday.
The bill’s passage comes after a chaotic week that included an address to Congress from the Ukrainian President, a rush of opposition from some Republicans, and looming winter storms that could leave travelers stranded around the Christmas holiday.
“We STILL don’t know the true cost of the $1.7T omnibus,” U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., wrote on Twitter. “For all we know, the total price tag could exceed $2T. Democrats want a blank check to spend YOUR taxpayer dollars.”
The vote came in at 68-29 with nearly 20 Republican senators voting in favor of the legislation, which would fund the government through September. Now, the bill heads to the U.S. House, where Republicans have been vocally opposed but likely lack the votes to stop the legislation.
