27-9-2023 (WASHINGTON) The U.S. Senate has passed a short-term spending bill in an effort to prevent a government shutdown by Saturday midnight, but there’s no guarantee it will pass in the House.
In an uncommon show of bipartisanship, the Senate, led by Democrats, voted 77-19 in favor of the bill.
This legislation includes $6.1 billion in aid for Ukraine and approximately $6 billion for domestic disaster relief. It is expected to fund the government until November 17, maintaining funding levels as they were, in contrast to the GOP’s demand for spending cuts.
This Senate vote sets the stage for passing a continuing resolution later in the week, which, if approved, could potentially prevent a federal government shutdown by October 1.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer referred to the bill as “a bridge away from extremism and toward cooperation” in an effort to give negotiators more time to reach an agreement on a longer-term funding bill. He made this statement on social media.
This development followed Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s inability to secure enough support for a short-term spending bill among House Republicans.
McCarthy had previously proposed a stopgap bill that aimed to reduce the budgets of most federal agencies by around 8% and tighten immigration restrictions. However, the House reached an impasse when hardline Republicans opposed any further aid to Ukraine.
While McCarthy has been stressing that a government shutdown is the worst-case scenario, there is no assurance that he can mediate a compromise in the House.
Earlier on Tuesday, McCarthy stated that funding for Ukraine should not be included in a short-term spending package but should be a standalone bill. He also called for a meeting with President Joe Biden.
U.S. media reported that McCarthy informed his leadership team on Tuesday night about his plans to amend the Senate’s stopgap spending bill to include a House GOP border security package.
