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The bill was passed hours before the midnight deadline on Saturday, averting a government shutdown, and will fund the government at current spending levels until mid-November
Written by Connor Freeman. Originally published by AntiWar
Update: Before midnight, President Joe Biden signed the temporary funding bill.
A partial “shutdown” of the federal government, which seemed inevitable amid battles over spending in both chambers of Congress, was averted after the House and Senate passed a stop-gap funding bill without any Ukraine aid on Saturday night. Passed before the midnight deadline, the bill will fund the government until November 17th at 2023 spending levels.
As a result of growing GOP opposition to massive spending on the White House’s proxy war with Russia, aid to Kyiv was dropped from the House leadership’s continuing resolution along with the spending cuts to various government agencies and additional border security funds desired by Republicans.
In order to secure passage of the bill, McCarthy needed support from the other side of the aisle since GOP opposition to a short-term funding bill precluded the speaker’s slim majority vote.
“We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep the government open,” Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said.
During an early closed-door meeting at the Capitol, many House Republicans urged their fellow members to find a way to prevent the “shutdown” eyeing some daunting reelections next year, the Associated Press reported.
The spending package was approved in the House with a vote of 335-91, with 90 Republicans and only one Democrat opposing. Then in a vote of 88-9, the Senate passed the bill as well. The continuing resolution does include an additional $16 billion for natural disasters with a separate vote on Ukraine aid expected soon.
According to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who voted against the funding bill Saturday night, this agreement on the war was part of a secret deal—made without GOP members’ knowledge prior to Saturday’s vote—between McCarthy and the Democrats.
“Wow. [McCarthy] made a side Ukraine deal with Democrats and didn’t tell House Republicans until after his Continuing Resolution passed. More deceit,” Gaetz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Gaetz has also warned he will file a motion for a vote aimed at McCarthy’s ouster.
Before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—an ardent supporter of the proxy war against the Kremlin—promised “I have agreed to keep fighting for more economic and security aid for Ukraine.”
Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) explained that he briefly held up proceedings because he insisted Senate leaders issue a statement “underscoring that we’re going to spend the next 45 days working together to pass a robust Ukraine aid package.” Senate leadership, on both sides of the aisle, subsequently issued just such a statement.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) assured that the Senate would vote on another Ukraine aid package “in very short order,” as part of a larger funding package for the Pentagon or as a stand-alone bill. He also said he is confident that the House will have the votes necessary for Kyiv’s continued support in its war with Russia.
Another $24 billion in weapons and other aid for Ukraine has been requested by the White House. The US has already pledged $113 billion to Ukraine for the war mostly in military aid, with about $100 billion in weapons and military equipment having been transferred to Ukraine by the US and its allies. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, along with hawks in the legislature, have repeatedly declared the US policy is intended to “weaken” Moscow and cripple its military.
But Saturday’s vote came as Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive has utterly failed, with Ukrainian forces taking massive losses in personnel and equipment while netting no significant gains. Estimates suggest Ukraine’s casualties skyrocketed amidst the failed campaign, with tens of thousands of soldiers being killed during recent months.
Beyond strategic defeats, the proxy war’s popularity has greatly diminished among American voters. In August, a CNN poll exposed that most Americans oppose additional aid to Ukraine, with 55% of all respondents and 71% of Republicans saying Congress should not authorize any more spending.
Concurrently, the Joe Biden administration is rejecting calls to negotiate a ceasefire and is escalating the war. The US is aiding Kyiv’s myriad drone strikes on Crimea and the Russian mainland—including Moscow—by providing the necessary targeting intelligence.
At the same time, Washington is pouring cluster bombs into Ukraine, which are widely banned and notorious for killing civilians, while also sending Abrams tanks armed with toxic depleted uranium ammunition linked to cancer and birth defects.
The White House is preparing to soon provide Kyiv with long-range ballistic missiles, crossing Russia’s “red line.” The Pentagon is expected to send Ukraine the cluster bomb variant of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which have a range of almost 200 miles.
Earlier this year, the Discord Leaks revealed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky desires to use “long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia’s borders.”
Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on the Conflicts of Interest podcast. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com, Counterpunch, and the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.
the first thing you do with a geriatric turd like biden is bury him in so much “ukrainian” shit that he can’t think straight and he is already known to be a stinky ol’ pervert. burisma anyone?
bury him all ve next to h0m0bama and trump
they keep saying the counter offensive has failed, but clearly it is a massive success. even 1 dead russian is a giant success if all it took is some fake monopoly money and the lives of 500k ukro slaves, at least from the perspective of a pedophile from washington.
also what the fk is a mitch mcconnell? i almost forgot about this ridiculous clown.
all these “american” installed buffoons go down in history as sick traitors to their already severely diseased nation. food stamps for all…
“they” always and always use fake names. usually anglo or celt, but always fake names. one burt lancaster for instance.
i never rated burt’s foreign policy.
they pull this stunt every other year on average, it’s supposed to make the peasants bite their nails “oh god what will we do without our captains at their helms!” but now after so many false alarms we just roll our eyes
such a cripple to rule our world as in nyc we have people cooking simple old rat as food fare of our world new york city.
that first grand city of our world is now a third world city as nooyorker cook rat on street-side as aisan cook old doggy.
just you now think american as that half white queer was selected by old sheldon as old sheldon won award for betting he could select that queer half whit non american to high status in our world..
not to worry of course now america/our world as that queer was replaced by a pedo as per his daughterz diary.
shush there now you as you could mention young hunter of fame jukraine..
burisma, john kerry et al as those folk would have a world war to cover those folk criminality.
it has happened before as it is happening now as those folk hate that white slave who have impudence to live in that kazar, that new fuckin i-is wailing as you make me hurt you.
i do hope you got that there now reader as i had to tweak it so…
my respects…(for now)…
just you american compare this sad old man to one pootin. not that i think pootin is any different as those both folkare controlled to a degree. i do have hope of course as pootin, like jfk depart the rez… and just then pootin has his brainz blown out.
methinkz there now south as you are always tweaking about where yer monie should come from to support you and yet you always seem to be supported. tis why i would not donate to you.
that bitch stein passed recently and most of her life she was on salary of some one hundred thousand and yet she died a millionaire. jut how does one do such a thing as they are paid thousands and become millionaire. just how rich is local politician in your world?
£6bn cut from the 2023 xmas present list for ukraine. oh dear. whats that? 50 tanks and 200 humvees that wont be set on fire during the 2024 spring offensive when they hope to carve another 18 square miles from around orhiv out. it will only take them 200 years at that rate to liberate the wasteland of their country.
criminally corrupt illegitimate ped0 scumbag joe biden is h0m0bamas third term and both should be dragged into the white house yand shot in the face on live tv for starting ww3 by blowing up russia’s nordstream pipeline and more.
biden works against the people and for defense contractors and other globalists creating a growing class of tax slaves and crime victims. the benefits of government shutdown outweigh the problems now because americans could loose everything in their foolish war for an empire that is no longer possible.
i just don’t see trump making america great again.
toto robia už cca 30 rokov v kuse!!! je to už únavné a aj celkom trápne. debili by si mali otvoriť bianko účet a už by sa viac nemuseli zapodievať aký dlh to majú. aj tak ho už nedokážu splatiť. tak k čomu je to divadlo dobré?
biden always looks like he left airforce one running. it will be good when he gets the boot.