Congress avoids government shutdown, drops Ukraine aid

WASHINGTON ― Congress on Saturday handed a short-term funding invoice to keep away from a authorities shutdown mere hours earlier than the deadline and after lawmakers dropped extra assist for Ukraine from the invoice.

After making an attempt and failing to cross a Republican measure that may slash non-defense spending and enact strict immigration insurance policies, Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reversed course on early Saturday morning and supplied a stopgap funding invoice much like the bipartisan Senate model – minus $6 billion in Ukraine assist.

This ensures troops and Protection Division workers will proceed receiving their paychecks and avoids furloughing lots of of 1000’s of the division’s civilian staff. Nevertheless, it raises questions on Congress’ means to cross extra Ukraine help solely per week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Capitol Hill in a direct enchantment to lawmakers, warning that his nation would lose the warfare with out extra assist.

The Home handed the stopgap measure to fund the federal government by November 17 in a 335-91 vote. The Senate then handed it in an 88-9 vote.

The Protection Division not has funds for the Ukraine Safety Help Initiative and the $1.5 billion it has left to backfill U.S. stockpiles of weapons which have been despatched to Kyiv expires on September 30. The Pentagon says {that a} earlier accounting error means it has roughly $5.5 billion in funds to maintain transferring weapons to Ukraine previous the top of the fiscal 12 months.

The White Home in August requested Congress for an extra $24 billion in extra navy and financial assist to Ukraine. However even within the Senate, the place Ukraine enjoys broad bipartisan assist, appropriators scaled that again to $6 billion.

That quantity included $1.5 billion in replenishment funds to backfill U.S. shares and one other $1.5 billion for the Ukraine Safety Help Initiative, which permits the Pentagon to put contracts for protection producers to construct weapons programs for Kyiv over the longer-term.

However even an additional $6 billion for Ukraine proved to be too excessive a bar for McCarthy. Whereas a robust, bipartisan majority of the Home nonetheless helps Ukraine assist, roughly half the Home Republican caucus now opposes it.

Home Republican leaders needed to strip a separate $300 million in Ukraine Safety Help Initiative funding from the protection spending invoice on Thursday in an effort to cross that laws largely alongside get together traces. The Home then voted 311-117 to ship that $300 million in Ukraine funding individually to the Senate. Dozens extra Republicans who had beforehand voted to protect that funding in July reversed course and voted in opposition to it on Thursday.

Dropping the Ukraine assist additionally allowed the Senate to expeditiously cross the stopgap funding invoice. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had spent the previous week delaying votes on the invoice to protest the Ukraine assist, however dropped his maintain after its removing.

Congress has handed a cumulative $113 billion in financial and safety help for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion final 12 months.

Whereas a shutdown would have been the worst-case situation for the Protection Division, short-term funding payments nonetheless impose appreciable constraints.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti testified earlier than Congress in September that the Navy won’t be able to proceed with procurement on 4 of its 9 shipbuilding packages till Congress passes a full fiscal 2024 protection spending invoice. These packages are the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the Virginia-class assault submarine, the Constellation-class frigate and a submarine tender substitute.

The stopgap funding invoice features a carveout that may permit the Navy to acquire the Columbia-class submarine – however not the opposite ships – earlier than Congress approves a full price range.

If Congress fails to cross a full price range by the following calendar 12 months, the Could debt ceiling settlement mandates that every one federal companies – together with the Protection Division – function on a one-year persevering with decision with a 1% lower for the remainder of FY24.