House passes the $1.7tn US spending bill

House passes the $1.7tn US spending bill. But what's in it?
The US Congress has passed a nearly $1.7 trillion (£1.4tn) spending bill - most likely averting a partial government shutdown.

The House of Representatives passed the bill on Friday afternoon by 225 votes to 201.

The bill will now go to President Joe Biden who needs to sign it before midnight.

The package will fund the US government all through the next fiscal year, to 30 September.
Environmental protections: The Environmental Protection Agency gets an increase of $576m over its budget last year.

Several Republicans lawmakers have expressed frustration over the size of the package and at being asked to vote on a mammoth bill under a tight deadline, giving them little time to read it through.

It is expected to be the last major bill of the current Congress before Republicans take control of the House in January after November's midterm elections.

Last week, the Senate passed a stopgap federal spending bill that gave lawmakers additional time to negotiate a broader package, extending the original 17 December funding deadline to 23 December.

On Tuesday morning, House and Republican negotiators unveiled that package, which was months in the making.

The "omnibus spending bill" raises funding from about $1.5tn in the last fiscal year.

A shutdown happens when parts of the government close because politicians fail to agree on a budget. The political game of brinksmanship has become a feature of US politics in recent decades.

Under the US system, the different branches of government have to reach an agreement on spending plans before they can become law.