On 16 November, a day before a potential government shutdown, US President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill, thereby deferring a decision on military aid funding for Ukraine and Israel.
The White House officially announced this decision on 17 November.
The financial plan maintains the existing government budget for about two months as discussions continue for a comprehensive package. It divides the deadlines for completing the annual funding legislation into two dates: 19 January for specific government departments and 2 February for the rest, setting up two potential instances for a partial government shutdown.
The legislation does not allocate the almost $106 billion in emergency assistance designated for Ukraine and Israel, nor does it include enhanced border security funding provisions.
On 7 November, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power jointly appealed to Congress in a letter to approve $11.8 billion in budgetary assistance for Ukraine.
President Biden has previously urged Congress to support assistance for both Ukraine and Israel in a new $106 billion aid package, including over $61 billion for Ukraine. The $11.8 billion would come from this broader package.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson insists Ukraine and Israel aid be considered separately, with Ukraine’s tied to border security funding.
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