The United States House of Representatives passed a bipartisan funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, but the agreement does not include additional defence aid for Ukraine.
The deadline for the United States Congress to pass new government funding legislation is September 30.
In the United States, a government shutdown can occur if Congress fails to pass such legislation.
The latest House bill will keep the government running for another 45 days, but it must still be approved by the Senate. The bill is expected to pass there before midnight local time as well.
The White House issued a statement in response to the lack of additional funding for Ukraine, saying, “We fully expect (House) Speaker McCarthy—who has stated his support for funding to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s illegal and unjustified war of aggression—will bring a separate bill to the floor shortly.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s defense, told NBC News that excluding aid would not “send a bad signal” to European allies.
Graham told NBC News that Congress would “eventually pass the funding attached to (a bill on) some sort of border security provision.”
