Congress unveiled a draft of the annual government budget

Congressional negotiators on Monday introduced a $1.7 trillion government funding bill, including record military spending. Lawmakers are working to get the bill passed no later than Friday, when temporary funding expires.

The bill’s total budget is more than the roughly $1.5 trillion appropriated the previous year. Senate and House leaders want to pass the bill and send it to Democratic President Joe Biden for his signature by the end of the week to prevent a government shutdown. For the past several months, Democrats and Republicans have argued over how much money should be spent on military and nonmilitary programs.

The bill would provide $44.9 billion in additional emergency aid to Ukraine and NATO allies.

That amount is outside the record $858 billion in military spending, also up from last year’s $740 billion and more than the amount requested by Biden.

Both Democrats and Republicans have tried to include as many items from their “wish lists” as possible in a comprehensive bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2023, without derailing approval of the entire package.

Failure to pass the bill threatens a partial government shutdown beginning Saturday — that is, just two days before Christmas — and risks a months-long standoff when Republicans win the House majority on Jan. 3, ending Democrat control of both houses of Congress.

Negotiators worked over the weekend to add the finishing touches to a bill that could still be amended by the House or Senate.