Congress gives itself a Christmas present: A huge funding boost in the $1.7T spending bill

Under the spending bill Congress is rushing to pass, Congress itself gets the second-largest funding increase, a raise it says is needed to boost security.

Total legislative branch funding would be $6.9 billion for the fiscal year, up $975 million from last year. The bulk of that increase would go toward safety and security, and the bill makes it clear that lawmakers are worried about the prospect of another Jan. 6-style attack on Capitol Hill. Pete Kasperowicz is a politics editor at Fox News Digital.

For example, more than half of the increase for Congress would go to the Architect of the Capitol, which maintains buildings on the Capitol complex. "This funding includes $403 million, an increase of $341 million, for the Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds, and Security to support significant enhancements to the physical security of the Capitol Complex as a result of the security recommendations made after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol," according to a Senate summary of the bill.