May 12, 2022

House Approves Ukraine Supplemental; COVID-19 Funding Package Remains Stalled

On May 10, the House approved legislation (H.R. 7691) that offers more than $40 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine. The bill, which would provide additional military, economic, and humanitarian aid to the war-torn country, exceeds President Biden’s request by nearly $7 billion. It should be noted that the administration recently indicated that it had nearly exhausted the $13.6 billion in Ukraine funding that was included in the fiscal year 2022 spending package (P.L. 117-103) enacted in March. If there are no objections to the legislation in the Senate, the measure could clear the chamber as soon as today. However, absent a unanimous consent agreement, the measure will be added to next week’s agenda.

While Democrats had initially sought to combine the Ukraine spending bill with a COVID-19 supplemental, congressional leaders ultimately agreed to move the two funding measures separately. Despite bipartisan support in both chambers, congressional leaders have been trying to break a weeks-long stalemate centered around the Biden administration’s repeal of a pandemic-related restriction on border crossings. The health order, referred to as “Title 42,” has prevented any unauthorized travel into the U.S. and effectively blocked migrants from making claims of asylum at the border. For their part, Republicans have demanded consideration of an amendment to the COVID funding measure that would require the administration to reinstate the order. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, have thus far tried to avoid such a vote.

In other developments, the House this week approved legislation (H.R. 2499) that would expand health benefits for federal firefighters. Under current law, federal employees are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits – including medical expenses, disability payments, and survivorship benefits – if there’s a demonstrable link between their employment and their injury or illness. H.R. 2499 would create a presumption that certain diseases are caused by engaging in fire protection activities, making benefits available to those employed in that line of work for at least five years. The bill would establish an initial list of covered diseases, including cancers of the brain, kidneys, lungs, as well as conditions such as leukemia, mesothelioma, and strokes.

Finally, members of the Biden administration appeared before congressional committees in both chambers this week to provide more details on the president’s fiscal year 2023 budget request. Officials from the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were among those testifying before various Appropriations Subcommittees. Additional information on the hearings, including witness statements and an archived webcast of the events can be accessed here and here.

Biden Administration Announces Effort to Increase Internet Speeds and Reduce Prices

On May 9, President Biden announced that a number of broadband providers – including Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Astound, Starry, and Spectrum, among others – have agreed to increase internet speeds and lower costs for low-income households across the country. Specifically, the companies have committed to reduce rates for individuals who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – a $14.2 billion program created by the bipartisan infrastructure law. 

According to recent estimates, as many as 48 million households, or nearly 40 percent of households in the country, are eligible for the program. An individual would qualify for the program if their income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or if a member of the household participates in other qualifying low-income programs (e.g. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), etc).

An eligible household that signs up for the program will receive a discount of up to $30 per month on any internet service plan a participating provider offers. It should be noted that households on Tribal Lands are eligible for a discount of up to $75 per month. To help enroll qualifying individuals, the administration is launching a website for applications and directing agencies who run the qualifying government programs to contact recipients to inform them about their eligibility. It should be noted that the administration said it views a sufficiently high-speed plan as one that offers download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second. Additional details about the announcement are available here.