Disaster relief funds were included in Congress’s stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown.
But President Joe Biden’s request of $24 billion to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia was not included.
Right-wing Republicans in the U.S. House threatened for months to vote against any funding bill package that included funding for Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited with Biden and senators at the White House in late September. Sen. Mark R. Warner, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said afterward that the U.S. walking away from Ukraine “would undermine the progress in securing Ukrainian independence, undercut NATO, and embolden authoritarian regimes around the world.”
The Chicago Tribune reported that U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago was the only Democrat who voted against the emergency funding plan because Ukraine was omitted from funding. Quigley co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.
“This bill is a victory for Putin and Putin-sympathizers everywhere. We now have 45 days to correct this grave mistake,” Quigley said in a statement in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The roll call in the U.S. House vote of the Continuing Resolution was 335 to 91, including 209 Democrats and 126 Republicans in favor, and 91 opposed, including 90 Republicans. Late Saturday, the Senate vote was 88 to 9.
The Continuing Resolution extends funding for the federal government for 45 days.
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Rebecca Barnabi
