Democrats Remove $15.6B COVID-19 Provision To Pass $13.6B Aid for Ukraine: WSJ

The House passed a $1.5 trillion spending bill, including emergency aid for Ukraine, after Democratic leaders decided to remove the $15.6 billion in COVID-19 assistance, as some Democratic lawmakers said they felt blindsided by the provision.

The $15.6 billion COVID-19 aid was intended to prepare for future variants or spike in cases. The spending bill also called for the return of $15.7 billion appropriated in previous coronavirus response bills to the Treasury.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, the package funds the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year and provides $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine.

WSJ noted that a White House official said Congress needed to approve new COVID funding to avoid dire consequences, including a decline in testing capacity and a winddown of the financing for healthcare coverage and treatments in the coming months.

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“I vehemently oppose efforts to snatch back the lifesaving resources we need to fully and equitably recover from this pandemic,” said Rep. Cori Bush (D., Mo.), whose home state would have money repurposed.

Lawmakers unified over providing aid to Ukraine as the civilian toll caused by the Russian invasion mounted in recent days. 

The Ukrainian aid funding allows the president to transfer $3 billion in defense equipment to Ukraine and other U.S. allies.

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