Biden said Congress has reached an agreement on funding the US government
US President Joe Biden said that Congress had reached an agreement on government funding and prevented a shutdown.
The bipartisan funding arrangement that congressional leaders have reached brings us one step closer to preventing an unnecessary shutdown and protecting important national interests.
The head of state thanked the leader of the Democrats in the upper house of Congress, Chuck Schumer, and the leader of the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries.
On January 3, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States was once again facing a shutdown—a partial cessation of government funding.
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The total government budget will be $1.590 trillion.
The total budget of the American government for 2024 will be $1.590 trillion. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced this.
This includes $886 billion in defense and $704 billion in non-defense spending
Defense spending is included in the US defense budget signed by President Joe Biden. It contains $800 million to help Ukraine. The American leader requested most of the funds to support Kyiv in a separate document, but at present there is no progress in reaching agreements.
Biden calls on Congress to agree on funding for Ukraine
Biden, in a statement on government funding, called on Republicans in Congress to agree on the allocation of funds to Ukraine and Israel.
He recalled his “additional request”; in the president’s request, $61 billion for Kyiv is included in a $100 billion package, which also includes funds for Israel and improving the situation on the border with Mexico.
Congressional Republicans must now fulfill their primary responsibility to fund critical homeland security and national security priorities, including my additional request. It's time to act
Earlier, Biden announced the impossibility of supplying weapons to Kyiv without the approval of Congress. He therefore called on the legislature to act without delay.
Negotiations in Congress have not yet brought breakthroughs. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson emphasized that the US presidential administration must decide on the goals of supporting Ukraine and develop a clear strategy.
He also noted that the allocation of money is affected by the problem of the US national debt. In his opinion, the approval of financial assistance to Kyiv will lead to new loans and an increase in the size of the public debt.
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The US government was under threat of a shutdown in September and November
In November, the US House of Representatives approved a temporary two-phase budget bill. According to it, part of the state programs will be funded until January 19, the second – until February 2. The document, developed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, did not include financial and military assistance to Israel and Ukraine.
The White House called the project frivolous. According to US administration spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, he will only cause more chaos among Republicans in anticipation of a possible government shutdown.
Before this, the threat of a shutdown faced the United States in September. This could have happened if Congress had failed to agree on a budget for the new fiscal year by the October 1 deadline.
On September 30, US President Joe Biden signed a government funding project for 45 days, until November 17, despite criticizing it for the lack of assistance to Ukraine. Prior to this, the document was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the United States Congress.
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