Senate headed toward short-term, relatively clean stopgap-funding measure

Senate leaders are headed toward unveiling a short-term government funding stopgap measure that will be relatively clean and is not expected to include significant amounts of money for the war in Ukraine or disaster relief, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) want to avoid a government shutdown at week’s end, first and foremost.

Whether the continuing resolution will include any money for supporting the war in Ukraine is an issue the leaders are still negotiating but if Ukraine money is included it will be far less than the $24 billion that President Biden requested for Ukraine in August, according to people familiar with the state of play.

Disaster relief money is also in limbo as Democrats want to tie it to President Biden’s full request for emergency funding.

How much money is included to support Ukraine, a priority that received fresh attention last week when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to senators in the Old Senate Chamber, could depend on the length of the funding stopgap.

“Do not expect bill text tonight. Negotiations made some progress today. Not there yet. Staff will keep working through the night on the CR,” said a Senate aide.

A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget said President Biden and congressional leaders won’t abandon Ukraine.

“President Biden and a bipartisan majority of Congress are committed to supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s brutal and illegal war of aggression, and recognize the broader stakes for international peace and stability,” the spokesperson said.

“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to work with members of both parties in the Senate and the House to secure supplemental funding as part of any continuing resolution—which would ensure our efforts to support Ukraine continue alongside other key priorities like disaster relief and regular government activities,” the spokesperson said.

An administration official noted that Biden’s supplemental funding request was for full three months — October, November and December.

It therefore makes sense that any government funding stopgap measure lasting for a shorter amount of time would include proportionately less money for Ukraine.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) last week attempted to request unanimous consent on the Senate floor to add $16.5 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund but Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) objected, arguing it should not be separated from the rest of Biden’s funding request, which covered disaster relief, funding for firefighters and military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The Senate will vote Tuesday at 5:30 pm on a motion to end debate on the motion to proceed to the legislative vehicle for the funding stopgap.

The continuing resolution will pass the Senate later in the week but any senator could drag out the proceeding until Saturday or Sunday by refusing to waive procedural hurdles.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has threatened to hold up the funding measure if it includes significant new funding for Ukraine.

“I will oppose any effort to hold the federal government hostage for Ukraine funding. I will not consent to expedited passage of any spending measure that provides any more U.S. aid to Ukraine,” he warned on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Paul’s home-state colleague, McConnell, however, is a leading advocate for providing more military aide to Ukraine, which he says is a vital national security need.

“At the risk of repeating myself, American support for Ukraine is not charity. It’s an investment in our own direct interests – not least because degrading Russia’s military power helps to deter our primary strategic adversary, China,” McConnell said last week.

Updated at 11:10 pm.

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