U.S. Congress nears deal on Ukraine aid, gov’t funding bill

A view of the U.S. Capitol building as the sunrises in Washington, U.S., February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) – Lawmakers in the U.S. Congress were expected on Tuesday to release a bill providing billions of dollars in emergency aid to Ukraine, as well as money to fund the government through Sept. 30 and address COVID-19, according to a source.

The legislation, which is expected to include roughly $12 billion for Ukraine and $1.5 trillion for defense and non-defense discretionary spending, headed toward release after Democrats agreed to lower their COVID-19 request to around $15 billion down from the White House’s initial $22.5 billion request.

Congress faces a midnight Friday deadline for passing the legislation. Failure to meet the deadline would either require another stop-gap funding bill or force partial government shutdowns during a time of international crisis.

An initial vote was due no later than Wednesday in the House of Representatives. The Senate would also need to pass the legislation before it could be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.

Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama

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