US$1.3 trillion spending Bill unveiled

New proposed budget increases defence spending but has no funds for Trump’s wall

WASHINGTON: Republican and Democratic leaders in the US Congress unveiled a US$1.3 trilion (RM5.09 trillion) Bill to fund the government through September, which includes an additional US$80bil (RM313bil) in national defence spending but fails to fund some of President Donald Trump’s immigration initiatives.

If it passed by the House of Representatives and Senate by tomorrow’s midnight deadline, it would avert the shutdown of many federal agencies and programmes beginning this weekend, when existing funds expire.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House indicated Trump would support the measure, potentially ending a prolonged debate over spending priorities for the fiscal year that began last Oct 1.

The Republican- controlled Congress will need Democratic support to pass a Bill that many Republican conservatives are likely to balk at because of its cost.

Representative Mark Walker, who heads a large group of House conservative Republicans, complained the Bill will add to budget deficits.

“It is imperative that we curb Washington’s out-of-control spending addiction that has not been slowed under Republican rule,” Walker said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer touted the measure.

“From opioid funding to rural broadband, from student loans to child care, this Bill puts workers and families first,” he said in a statement.

Trump at one point wanted US$25bil (RM97.8bil) included in the Bill to fully fund construction of his proposed US-Mexico border wall, but negotiations with Democrats to make that happen fell apart early this week, according to congressional aides.

Instead, Trump will get nearly US$1.6bil (Rm6.26bil) more for border security this year.

Republicans said money will help with more than 144km of “physical barrier construction” along the southern US border “for replacement (of existing barriers), bollards, and levee improvements”.

Democrats said the money would not be used for any new concrete wall.

The Department of Homeland Security would get an additional US$7mil (RM27.4mil) to hire 351 new Customs and Border Protection agents.

But the legislation would not give Trump money for the significant increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents he sought as part of a plan to expand deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Besides containing the largest increase in defence spending in 15 years, the Bill would provide a significant boost in non-defence spending.

And it would fix a “grain glitch” included in the tax law enacted at the end of last year.

Big grain buyers, such as Anheuser Busch, Cargill and the ethanol industry, have complained that the glitch gives lucrative tax breaks to grain producers for selling to farming cooperatives, and a lesser break for selling to agriculture companies.