Washington (CNN) The $25 million for federal research into gun violence that's included in the massive spending bill agreed to on Capitol Hill represents the first time in over two decades that Congress has allocated funding for the issue.

The House voted Tuesday to approve the nearly $1.4 trillion spending deal that includes $12.5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and $12.5 million for the National Institutes of Health. The funding comes as the nation continues to grapple with the effects of frequent mass shootings.

"With this investment, the best public health researchers in the country will be put to work to identify ways to reduce injury and death due to firearms," Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee who secured the funding in the spending bill, said in a statement.

The provision maintains the long-standing prohibition on any funds being used to advocate or promote gun control.

Now that the spending deal has cleared the House, it will need to be approved by the Senate before it can go to President Donald Trump for his expected signature.

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