Joe Biden signs the bill on the temporary budget
The US has approved a temporary budget bill. First, it was passed in the House of Representatives, and a few hours before October 1, the Senate adopted the document. Then, according to the procedure, it was signed by President Joe Biden.
This is stated on the White House website.
The temporary budget will be in effect for 45 days, i.e. until November 17.
This way, the US managed to avoid a shutdown, i.e. a partial suspension of the government. This could have slowed down the transfer of aid to Ukraine.
However, this temporary bill does not provide funding to support Ukraine.
Initially, the bill included funding for Ukraine, but it was cancelled after some conservatives from the Republican Party raised objections during the discussion of the document.
Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, explained that the Congress and the Presidential Administration made sure that the previous budget funds for Ukraine's assistance programmes were transitional.
"The government will work, so there is no threat to the supply of weapons and equipment that was approved earlier. We now have at least an additional $1.6 billion in defence assistance (PDA) available for use, plus $1.23 billion in direct budgetary assistance (the September tranche that was just transferred to the World Bank), plus significant amounts for energy and other programmes," she wrote.
Bipartisan members of the Senate leadership issued a joint statement pledging to vote for further funding for Ukraine "in the coming weeks."
"In the coming weeks, we expect the Senate will work to ensure the US government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine," the statement said.
The Democratic Party leadership in the House of Representatives said that they expect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to bring to vote a separate bill to help Ukraine.
President Joe Biden also called on Congress to pass separate funding for Ukraine.
"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. We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted," the President said.
