House Meets @ 0900ET To Finish Work On Senate-Approved Omni Approp. Bill

Following the passage of the omnibus appropriations bill in the Senate on 22 Dec, the House of Representatives will meet at 0900ET (1400GMT/1500CET) today to complete the work on the heavily-amended package. There will be notable efforts to pass the legislation swiftly, with both the midnight deadline for avoiding a gov't shutdown looming and a major winter storm bearing down on the east coast likely to encourage lawmakers to work swiftly.

• The package, containing eight amendments, totals to USD1.7trn and includes a 10% boost to Pentagon funding, around USD45bn in emergency support for Ukraine and USD40bn in disaster recovery assistance.
• Politico notes that, "Because of the size of the bill, the Senate will also pass a stopgap patch to extend federal cash through Dec. 30, since government funding expires at midnight on Friday. The move, which is routine, buys extra time to formally enroll the bill and get it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature."
• The package passed in a relatively bipartisan manner in the Senate in a 68-29 vote. However, this cross-aisle cooperation is not expected to extend to the House, with Republicans seeking to hinder the bill's progress. House minority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) leading GOP efforts as he seeks to shore up his bid for Speaker in January.
• Large number of representatives expected to vote via proxy having fled back home from Washington, D.C., to avoid being stranded amid mass plane cancellations due to the inclement weather.