In (BIG) non-impeachment news …
President Donald Trump may think Congress is focused only on impeachment.
But there are signs of life on the Hill beyond impeaching Trump this week. The House did its part to avoid a government shutdown (by passing a $1.4 trillion spending bill), plus is planning to vote on Trump’s marquee trade bill, USMCA, in coming days.
That spending bill is chock full of money for different projects, delivering wins for both parties.
There’s money for the border wall (to the tune of $1.37 billion — the same amount that was allocated last year). There’s also a $22 billion increase in defense spending, plus a new position within the Department of Homeland Security designed to oversee immigrant detention.
Not to mention $425 million in grants for election security and $25 million for gun research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Plus, lawmakers agreed to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone younger than 21 and to repeal several health care taxes.
The House also approved a defense authorization bill on Tuesday that creates Trump’s much-touted Space Force and 12 weeks of paid family leave for federal workers. That is headed for Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
The USMCA bill hit a bump over the weekend with Mexican negotiators, but is back on track for debate and a vote later this week. Once it passes the House, it would head to the Senate, where it’ll be taken up after impeachment.
The Point: Impeachment may steal the show, but it’s certainly not the only thing happening in Washington ahead of the holidays.
