The House and Senate both voted on Thursday, in widely bipartisan fashion, to pass a $2.1 billion emergency appropriations bill to shore up security at the U.S. Capitol and reimburse law enforcement agencies for costs incurred during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

What You Need To Know

  • The House and Senate both passed a $2.1 billion funding bill for U.S. Capitol Security in widely bipartisan fashion, as well as to aid Afghan refugees in the wake of the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan 

  • Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, respectively, reached an accord on the measure Tuesday

  • The bill reimburses the U.S. Capitol Police and National Guard for their service during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol

  • The measure also provides $1.125 billion in support and assistance to Afghan refugees who supported the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan

The measure passed the Senate unanimously in a 98-0 vote, followed by a 411-11 vote in the House later the same day.

No votes in the House included Democrats and Republicans alike, including progressive Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and conservatives Chip Roy, R-Texas, Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Bob Good, R-Va. 

The bill now heads to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, respectively, reached an accord on Tuesday.

"We have the responsibility to take care of the Capitol Police in the wake of their incredible service on January 6th, and to reimburse our National Guard for costs incurred protecting the Capitol," Sen. Leadhy said in announcing the agreement. "We have the responsibility to pay for costs we have already incurred as a result of the pandemic.  And we have the moral responsibility to stand with our Afghan partners who stood with us through two decades of war."

"This bipartisan agreement addresses these critical needs, and it addresses them now because they cannot wait," he added.

The bill would provide $406 million to support the Capitol Police and to secure the Capitol, including about $70 million for salaries and expenses on Jan. 6, as well as $521 million to reimburse the National Guard for the cost of deploying to the Capitol. $300 million will go toward upgrading windows and doors around the Capitol, as well as installing new security cameras.

The measure also provides $1.125 billion in support and assistance to Afghan refugees who supported the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan, including $600 million for refugee and migration assistance, as well as improving and strengthening the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the White House supported the new funding: "We certainly have supported and advocated for additional funding for the Special Immigrant Visa program, something that is a huge priority to the president."

The Department of Defense will receive $500 million "to provide emergency transportation, housing, and other essential services to Afghan partners leaving the country."

The measure also includes more than $42 million in funding to provide for safe and healthy Congressional operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including $22 million for "enhanced cleaning, personal protective equipment, telework equipment, essential overtime pay, and salaries of employees of impacted contractors subject to furloughs and/or layoffs."

This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.