President Joe Biden released a statement on Saturday calling the passage of a stopgap funding measure “good news,” but criticized that it had no funding for Ukraine.
“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said in a statement.
He continued:
While the Speaker and the overwhelming majority of Congress have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine, there is no new funding in this agreement to continue that support.
…
I fully expect the Speaker will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment.
The House passed the stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, on the eve of the new fiscal year.
The CR continues to fund the government at 2023 levels, and would give the House 45 days to pass 2024 government spending bills.
The CR not containing Ukraine aid was a victory for conservatives who oppose more spending on Ukraine aid. So far, since last February, the U.S. has approved sending $113 billion. The Biden administration is pushing for $24 billion more, for a total of $135 billion. That money would last through the end of 2023, and does not include any 2024 requests.
Biden’s Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, also called on Congress to pass more aid to Ukraine.
“I welcome congressional action tonight to avert an unnecessary and destructive government shutdown that would have had a profound impact on the lives [of] our troops and civilians who work and sacrifice to defend this country every day. But I also urge Congress to live up to America’s commitment to provide urgently-needed assistance to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their own country against the forces of tyranny. America must live up to its word and continue to lead,” he said in a statement.
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