Highlights of Congress' $1.5 trillion spending bill

Congressional leaders are racing to pass a mammoth $1.5 trillion legislative package that would fund the government for the rest of the year

Russia Ukraine Congress (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Congressional leaders are racing to pass a mammoth $1.5 trillion legislative package that would fund the government for the rest of the year and deliver badly needed humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The legislation includes $730 billion for domestic programs, the largest increase in four years, along with $782 billion for defense. It also includes emergency funding for Ukraine and European allies and billions more for the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights from the more than 2,700-page legislation:

AIDING UKRAINE

The legislation contains a supplemental spending bill which provides $13.6 billion in emergency funding to support Ukrainian defense, aid and humanitarian efforts. The tally includes $43.6 million for the FBI to investigative cyber threats and cryptocurrency activities and for the establishment of a “Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative,” for violators of sanctions.

___

FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC

At the request of the White House, $15.6 billion in spending will go to continue managing the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and around the world. That includes $4.45 billion for a global initiative to increase global vaccinations overseas.

___

INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING

Nearly $4 billion is included for rural development programs, which invests over $550 million in the expansion of broadband service. This is an addition to the $2 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that became law last November.

___

TREASURY AND IRS FUNDING

The funding bill provides $14.3 billion to the Treasury Department, including $12.6 billion devoted to the IRS, which is the largest increase to the tax agency since 2001. The White House has said the agency has not been equipped to serve taxpayers.

___

CRIME SPENDING

The measure dedicates $35.2 billion overall for the Department of Justice, which includes FBI funding of $10.77 billion and a $506.4 million increase in grants to state and local law enforcement.

___

IMMIGRATION

The bill provides $14.8 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and $8.26 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and $409.5 million to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to address USCIS backlogs and delays.

___

ENVIRONMENT

The Environmental Protection Agency would receive a total of $9.56 billion and the Department of Energy would get $44.9 billion. Notably, the spending bill includes $100 million to bolster environmental justice activities, an $83 million increase above the 2021 enacted level. Environmental justice addresses equity and pollution issues that impact marginalized communities.

___

FOOD STAMPS

The bill provides $140.4 billion in required mandatory spending for SNAP, including $3 billion for the SNAP reserve fund, which would be used by more than 42 million people. The program provides food aid to needy families.

___

DEFENSE SPENDING

The bill provides $782 billion for defense spending, an increase of $32.5 billion above fiscal year 2021.