House swiftly advances behemoth $1.4T spending deal

Source: Politico | December 17, 2019 | Caitlin Emma

The overall spending deal cements $738 billion in fiscal 2020 funding for the military and $632 billion for non-defense departments.

The House Tuesday passed a $1.4 trillion spending pact that would inject federal agencies with $49 billion in extra cash this fiscal year, enact a host of substantial policy changes and avert a repeat of last year’s holiday-time government shutdown.

The lower chamber early in the afternoon advanced the first of two year-end funding bundles, passing 297-120 a domestic spending package with money for health, transportation, education and more. The second package, passed 280-138, was a four-bill national security minibus that includes billions of dollars for the military and DHS. Lawmakers pushed through the measure despite opposition from progressives and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who cited funding for the Trump administration’s “immoral“ immigration policies and “unchecked” military spending.

The Senate is set to clear the hefty fiscal 2020 deal, which will also raise the age for tobacco purchases to 21 and permanently repeal three major health taxes, before a government funding deadline on Friday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.

Lawmakers had less than 24 hours to review and vote on the behemoth appropriations agreement, which delivered a major win for industry and lobbyists in policy provisions that rode along to enactment. That includes a year-end bargain on tax extenders struck by congressional tax writers and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the middle of the night and unveiled early Tuesday.

The overall spending deal cements $738 billion in fiscal 2020 funding for the military and $632 billion for non-defense departments.

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