Democrats set up clash with GOP by pairing Covid relief with Ukraine aid – By Clare Foran and Manu Raju (CNN) / March 6, 2022
(CNN) Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are set for a showdown over Covid-19 relief that threatens to hold up desperately needed aid to Ukraine as the country fights back against Russia’s invasion.
House Democrats plan to introduce a massive bill as soon as Tuesday that would extend government funding through the end of September — and include roughly $10 billion to help bolster Ukraine, according to two Democratic sources. But they are setting up a clash with Republicans over Covid relief money expected to be included in the sweeping package.
Negotiations will take place this week to try to secure a deal to pass the bill before a March 11 deadline when government funding expires. Lawmakers are expected to avoid a shutdown, but if a broad funding package doesn’t move quickly, they may be forced to pass another short-term stopgap funding measure.
One Democratic source familiar with the matter said Sunday that Covid relief money will be included in the package — a move that would dare Republicans to block a package that includes money for Ukraine. While aid to Ukraine is a pressing priority with bipartisan support, Republicans are widely opposed to more Covid relief money, arguing that a full accounting of already allocated funds is needed before there’s any further spending.
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