WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives was poised on Wednesday for a critical series of votes that would ban U.S. imports of Russian oil, provide emergency aid to Ukraine and fund the federal government through Sept. 30.
With funding for federal agencies set to expire at midnight on Friday, the House was also set to vote on a failsafe stop-gap resolution to ensure the government stays open through March 15, should the Senate prove unable to pass the more comprehensive spending legislation known as an “omnibus” bill.
Lawmakers were expected to begin with a mid-morning vote to adopt the rules for a floor debate that would precede final votes on passage later in the day.
Democrats and Republicans reached a $1.5 trillion deal overnight to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2022, including $13.6 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and $15.6 billion for COVID-19.
The House was also expected to vote on a bill to ban Russian energy imports. The legislation builds on President Joe Biden’s newly announced ban by including moves to review Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization. It would also renew and expand the Magnitsky human rights law to ease the way for further U.S. sanctions on Russia.
The omnibus spending plan will boost funding for domestic priorities, including money for infrastructure passed under an earlier bipartisan measure to revamp U.S. roads, bridges and broadband, they said.
The plan includes $730 billion in non-defense funding and $782 billion in defense funding.
“This bipartisan agreement will help us address many of the major challenges we face at home and abroad: from COVID-19, to the vicious and immoral attack on Ukraine, to the need to lower costs for hardworking American families,” U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
It also includes new protections to protect U.S. infrastructure from cyberattacks “by Russia and other bad actors.”
The measure will also reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, Pelosi and Schumer said.
Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.
by : Reuters
Source link