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The legislation provides funding for federal agencies and an
additional $12.3 billion for Ukraine's war effort against the
Russian invasion.
The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate passed the measure on
Thursday and the House, also controlled by Democrats, is
expected to pass it and move it to President Joe Biden's desk
for signature into law on Friday.
The bill also authorizes Biden to direct the drawdown of up to
$3.7 billion for the transfer to Ukraine of excess weapons from
U.S. stocks.
Amid reports of Russian forces threatening the safety of
Ukraine's nuclear power plants and Russian President Vladimir
Putin hinting he might use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, the
legislation would appropriate $35 million "to prepare for and
respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in
Ukraine," according to a bill summary.
The stopgap bill also includes a five-year renewal of Food and
Drug Administration user fees being collected from drug and
medical device companies to review their products and determine
whether they are safe and effective, the bill summary showed.
The law authorizing the collection of fees expires on Friday.
Congress has resorted to this kind of last-minute temporary
spending bill in 43 out of the past 46 years due to its failure
to approve full-year appropriations in time for the Oct. 1 start
of a fiscal year, according to a government study.
The last time Congress allowed funding to lapse was in December
2018, when Democrats balked at paying for then-President Donald
Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall, leading to a record, 35-day
impasse and partial government shutdown.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton, David Morgan and Richard Cowan in
Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
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