US passes budget bill, no aid to Ukraine
(Baonghean.vn) - The US Congress has passed a temporary budget bill for 45 days, avoiding a federal government shutdown. The bill has been signed by US President Joe Biden. However, this budget does not include any resources to support Ukraine.
The White House announced that before the deadline of 0:01 a.m. on October 1 (US time), the US Senate passed a short-term budget bill, within 45 days, to help the government continue operating until November 17.
The bill includes $16 billion in disaster relief, but does not include aid to Ukraine, cuts or funding for border policy changes.
Earlier, President Joe Biden welcomed the bipartisan short-term budget deal. However, he criticized and expressed disappointment that the budget package did not include aid for Ukraine. The White House "boss" emphasized that Washington cannot, under any circumstances, stop supporting Kiev.
President Joe Biden has requested an additional $24 billion for Ukraine to ensure the flow of aid is not interrupted, but critics say Washington has more important priorities.
The signing of the bill eliminated the threat of a US government shutdown, which would have occurred on October 1 if Congress did not agree on a budget package.
The bill was introduced earlier, but it has struggled to gain traction amid disagreements among lawmakers over both the amount and scope of funding. The White House has accused Republicans of being uncooperative. For their part, a minority of Republicans in the Senate and a majority in the House have expressed disagreement with the administration’s policies, especially on additional aid to Ukraine.
After no new aid for Ukraine was included in the final bill, House Democratic leaders expressed hope that House Speaker McCarthy would hold a vote on a separate aid package for Kiev.
