US House Republicans release over $1.5T spending bill to avert government shutdown

ISTANBUL

US House Republicans have unveiled a $1.5 trillion-plus spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown by maintaining current funding levels for federal agencies through the end of September.

The 99-page bill, released on Saturday, seeks to address the March 14 deadline, when the current continuing resolution expires.

The legislation allocates $892.5 billion for defense spending, including an additional $8 billion to ease national security concerns, and $708 billion for non-defense spending, down by about $13 billion, Fox News reported.

However, critical areas like veterans’ healthcare are reportedly protected, with an added $6 billion in funding.

The bill also fulfills White House requests for “anomalies,” including increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

House Democratic leaders on Friday hinted they would oppose the bill, particularly over cuts to Medicaid, which they called a “red line.” Some progressives have urged no cooperation on the bill unless the White House retreats from its aggressive cost-cutting program, involving firing thousands of federal workers and eliminating entire agencies without statutory approval.

House Republican leaders are considering passing the bill with only Republican votes, a rare move, Axios reported. With a slim majority in the House, in recent years Republicans have had to count on Democratic votes to pass spending bills.

The US government faces a potential shutdown if a new spending bill is not passed by next Friday.

Shutdowns can disrupt critical services, delay payments to federal contractors, and reduce economic activity.