Shutdown in the US averted: Senate votes for interim budget Now Putin wants to strike from the stratosphere

The feared standstill in government activities in the US has been averted, but financial support for Ukraine and Israel is still pending. Late Wednesday evening (local time), the Senate also voted in favor of an interim budget, following a vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. 87 senators, with many representatives from both parties, voted in favor of the bill and 11 rejected it. Without approval, employees of parts of the public administration, among others, would no longer have received their salaries from Saturday.

The budget excludes billions in aid for Israel and Ukraine that President Joe Biden has requested, as well as new money for U.S. border protection with Mexico. These points would have to be decided separately later, just like with a regular budget with a longer term. Now Biden still has to sign the draft.

Before the vote, National Security Council communications director John Kirby stressed the need to make a quick decision on the next round of aid to Ukraine. “There is no other solution – we must have extra money for Ukraine so that they can continue the fight against Russian aggression.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of Biden’s Democrats announced the funds would be negotiated in the coming weeks.

The draft now approved stipulates that about one-fifth of the money for government businesses and federal agencies will be funded through Jan. 19, including money for the military and veterans, agriculture and transportation. The remaining four-fifths, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Labor and Health, will be funded until February 2.

The term of the current interim budget, which was only adopted by the US Congress at the beginning of October, expires on Saturday. Until then, a solution had to be found to prevent the insolvency of the public administration. This interim budget did not include any new money for Ukraine. Republicans in particular are becoming increasingly skeptical or rejecting support for the country attacked by Russia.

The political bickering over the budget repeats itself every year; Congress usually does it by passing an interim budget, only to fight again a few months later over funding for government operations. (sda/dpa)