Congress prevents a government shutdown and withdraws aid to Ukraine

To prevent a government shutdown just hours before the due date and after lawmakers removed additional funds for Ukraine from the measure, Congress enacted a short-term financing bill on Saturday.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., changed course right away Saturday morning and proposed a temporary funding bill comparable to the bipartisan Senate version – minus $6 billion in Ukraine assistance – after attempting but losing to pass a Republican measure that might lower non-defense spending and establish harsh immigration policies.

This prevents hundreds of thousands of the Defense Department’s civilian staff from being let off and guarantees that soldiers and staff members will continue to get their salaries. It does, however, cast doubt on Congress’ capacity to approve extra Ukraine aid just a week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a direct appeal to legislators during a visit to Capitol Hill, warning that his nation could lose the war without more backing.