The upcoming massive year-end spending package will include a revamp of an obscure law that Donald Trump tried to exploit to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday.
The Senate majority leader also said anticipated additional Ukraine aid would make it into the deal, though he did not specify an amount. Top appropriators are looking to cement the overall spending levels on the stalled funding bill as soon as Tuesday, a critical step for negotiations to wrap up by the end of the year….
Senators have been working on a bipartisan deal to adjust the Electoral Count Act since Trump tested its limits on Jan. 6. Legislation passed the Senate Rules Committee in September with broad support, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Democrats and Republicans have also largely agreed for months that Ukraine will need more assistance before the end of the year.
With a bipartisan deal close at hand and legislative text largely written, lawmakers could be on track to clear the government funding package just before the holidays. But timing is extremely tight and a number of pitfalls could complicate passage in both chambers, including a host of unrelated policy provisions that members will push to include before the start of the next Congress in January.