Washington, December 23 (RHC)-- The U.S. Senate has approved a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package, setting up a vote in the House of Representatives ahead of a midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
The Senate bill contains a record $858 billion in military spending and about $772 billion for nonmilitary programs. It earmarks $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine alone.
The leglslation does not include a child tax credit expansion Democrats say would have sharply reduced child poverty and hunger. And it ends a pandemic provision that led to record Medicaid enrollment, meaning millions of people will likely be kicked off the public health insurance program this spring.