On the evening of September 30th, both chambers of the United States Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, approved a budget resolution to fund federal expenses for 45 days.
This marked the culmination of very complex discussions regarding the U.S. budget for the fiscal year 2024, which had been ongoing for many months. The lack of consensus on the annual budget initially led to discussions about a quarterly resolution, in which the administration proposed including $24 billion in aid to Ukraine. Subsequently, Congress refused to discuss quarterly figures, even for a period of 30 or 45 days. If a decision had not been reached by the end of the day on September 30th, America would have faced a government shutdown, meaning the cessation of funding for the entire federal government. Ultimately, the only option was a 45-day budget resolution, which included funding solely for programs of the U.S. federal government, without funds for border policy and without the $6 billion designated for Ukraine.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, stated the next day, on Sunday: «I want to reassure America’s allies, the American people, and the people of Ukraine: you can count on our support. I fully expect Speaker McCarthy to fulfill his promise to pass the legislation and support Ukraine as it defends itself against aggression and violence. An overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate support Ukraine. Let’s vote on this.»
In total, in August, Biden requested that Congress allocate $24 billion for Ukraine for the new fiscal year (which began on October 1st), in addition to the $113 billion already approved since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities will work with their partners in Washington to include the necessary funding for Ukraine in the U.S. budget over the next few months when the entire U.S. budget is coordinated. In fact, there is time, there are resources, and, most importantly, there is bipartisan and bicameral support for Ukraine, which enables the continuation of American assistance in Ukraine’s struggle for freedom and the preservation of human lives.
The current situation with the temporary U.S. budget will not affect the delivery of aid to Ukraine. Nothing threatens the supply of weapons and equipment, for which decisions have already been made. This was stated by the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Nikolenko. He added, «The situation with the temporary U.S. budget will not stop the delivery of aid to Ukraine, which had been announced previously. It currently includes approximately $1.6 billion in military aid, $1.23 billion in direct budgetary support, as well as funds for humanitarian and energy projects.»