Biden signs $1.7 trillion government spending bill
CBSN
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion government spending bill, averting a government shutdown. The bill includes more aid to Ukraine and funding for his domestic priorities.
The White House said Thursday that the bill "caps off a year of historic bipartisan progress for the American people."
"The bill will advance cutting-edge research on cancer and other diseases, make communities safer, deliver for our veterans, prioritize mental health care, improve access to high quality health care for Indian country, and strengthen worker protections for pregnant women," the White House said. "It also provides the resources needed to support Ukraine, provides the highest funding level for the Violence Against Women Act in history, and takes long overdue action to shore up our democracy and preserve the will of the people by reforming the Electoral Count Act."
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.