Senate passes $1.7 trillion spending bill 

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a $1.7 trillion spending bill to help fund the federal government and send more assistance to Ukraine.

The package was approved less than three days after it was announced. The Senate voted 68 to 29 to send the legislation to the House, which is set to review it before Friday. If it gets approved in the House, President Biden is expected to sign the bill before midnight on Friday. 

The 4,000-page bill includes enough funding to sustain the federal government throughout the end of the next fiscal year, which ends in September. The package also contains $858 billion in military funding and more than $772 billion for domestic programs. 

"The bill is so important to get done because it will be good for families, for veterans, our national security, even for the health of our democratic institutions," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Additionally, the bill includes $45 billion for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The aid for Ukraine was announced after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House and the U.S. Congress. 

Other ways the government plans to spend the tax dollars include Medicaid, pay raises for troops, Capitol police support, childcare, and environmental protection, among others. 

While the Democrats in the Senate fully supported the bill, Republican support was low, with many expressing concerns over the size of the package. 

In order to get the Republican support needed for the bill to pass, Democrats agreed to increase spending on military and defense programs compared to health care, education, and veteran affairs policies.