Senate lawmakers unanimously approved a $2.1 billion spending bill on Thursday that will pay for increased Capitol security and will help refugees following the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said the measure was bipartisan, and neither side got all that they wanted in this bill.
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“On this specific issue, we got what the country needed,” Leahy said.
The measure passed after weeks of wrangling and last-minute opposition from some Republicans who opposed adding in funding for Afghan refugees.
The measure provides nearly $1 billion to improve Capitol security in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots. Rioters that day overwhelmed the police and stormed into the building while both chambers were in session certifying the results of the 2020 election.
The bill would also spend $1.1 billion to assist Afghan refugees who flee the country following the U.S. troop withdrawal, and it would spend another $42 million in COVID-19 mitigation funding for the Capitol complex.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called the measure “a good compromise.”
The bill must win approval from the House before becoming law.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, told the Washington Examiner she planned to bring up the bill as soon as it cleared the Senate.
“As soon as they finish, we’ll take it up,” Pelosi said.
The House passed its own version of a Capitol security bill, but Democrats struggled to get it across the finish line. It passed by just one vote.
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Liberal House Democrats are unhappy the Senate bill strips out extra funding for Capitol staff who endured the riot but are not members of law enforcement and may seek to add money back in, Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, said Thursday.
“I think we’ve got to make sure that some pieces are in there so that the people who work in this building that experienced so much trauma are actually able to get compensated for that work,” Jayapal said.
