Congressional leaders reached a deal on January 7 on $1.66 trillion to fund the federal government through 2024, preserving funding for key domestic and social security programs despite Republican demands to cut the federal budget. Now Ukraine can hope that congressmen will vote to provide our country with a new tranche of military aid.
Members of Congress reached an agreement on funding the work of the US government
On January 7, the US Congress passed a bipartisan deal to fund the government until 2024, a "step" toward avoiding a shutdown.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
The deal, announced jointly by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson, is almost certain to face fierce opposition from far-right House Republicans who had hoped to force drastic budget cuts.
The leaders announced that the deal provides $886.3 billion for defence and $772.7 billion for domestic spending.
Those numbers are in line with an agreement reached by President Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last spring. Biden and McCarthy agreed to spend an additional $69 billion each year as part of the supplemental agreement, with some of that money offset by repurposing existing funds.
Biden endorsed a bipartisan deal in Congress
US President Joe Biden spoke positively about this agreement in a statement published on the White House website.
The bipartisan funding framework reached by congressional leaders brings us one step closer to preventing an unnecessary government shutdown and protecting important national priorities. It reflects the funding levels I agreed with both parties and signed into law last spring, Biden said.
He said the deal paves the way for year-round funding bills that "will benefit the American people and be free of any extreme politics."
The US president thanked Senate Democratic Majority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for their leadership in reaching the deal.
It is now up to Republicans in Congress to do their job, stop threatening to shut down the government, and fulfill their primary responsibility to fund critical homeland and national security priorities, including my supplemental request. The time has come for them to act, Biden added.
The total budget of the American government in 2024 will be 1.6 trillion dollars. The defence part was already signed by President Joe Biden last month in the law on defence spending - it contains 300 million dollars for Ukraine. This amount is not included in the $61 billion "Ukrainian" package, which is part of the additional request Biden mentioned at the end of his statement about the agreement.
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