Biden defense supplemental looms over government shutdown fight
Samantha-Jo Roth
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President Joe Biden’s new supplemental request for roughly $40 billion for additional assistance for Ukraine, funding for border policies, and disaster recovery efforts is teeing up a new fight as lawmakers are headed for a spending showdown this fall.
The request, which senior administration officials say would cover “emergency funding needs” for the first quarter of 2024, includes $24 billion for Ukraine, $4 billion for southern border and immigration operations, $12 billion to replenish the Department of Homeland Security’s disaster relief fund, and $60 million to boost firefighter pay.
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The move is already setting up a clash with the Republican-led House, where House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other Republicans have said they will not approve aid to Ukraine for the next fiscal year. An influential block of hard-line House conservatives is having a major influence on the spending process, and as a result, McCarthy and GOP leaders are preparing bills with less spending than previously agreed to in an effort to win over the votes of these members.
“No. This should be a non-starter for the House GOP,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said in a statement. “It’s time to stand up for Americans and against the uniparty.”
The request is expected to gain some bipartisan support, as some Republicans have been outspoken about the need to continue providing support to Ukraine. However,
However, at least one senior GOP member told the Washington Examiner that Republicans do not have the votes to get a Ukraine supplemental across the line without Democratic help.
“We applaud the Administration for putting forward a supplemental funding request that addresses each of these important issues facing our nation,” said Rep. Anne Kuster (D-NH). “Now, Congress must get it over the finish line.”
Time is running out for lawmakers to approve funding before the existing U.S. aid for Ukraine is depleted. According to senior administration officials, funding could run out by the end of September. Congress has approved $113 billion in aid to Ukraine since the start of the war. The last time funding for Ukraine was authorized was back in December, before Republicans took control of the House.
Funding for Ukraine has decreased in popularity among House Republicans in particular over the last couple of months. In a vote last month in the House, 70 Republicans voted in favor of an amendment that would have stripped all funding for Ukraine. Additional funding for the country is also not as popular with the public, with 55% of voters opposed to authorizing additional aid for Ukraine, according to a recent CNN poll.
Senators on both sides of the aisle seem more inclined to support Biden’s ask. The debt ceiling deal that passed in both chambers in June limited Pentagon spending for the next two years, which was a major point of contention for defense hawks. The 99-page agreement limited overall national security spending in fiscal 2024 to $886 billion, roughly a 3% increase from current levels. In fiscal 2025, defense spending would be capped at $895 billion, a 1% increase from the previous year.
“I look forward to carefully reviewing the Administration’s request to make sure it is necessary and appropriate to keep America safe, secure our borders, support our allies, and help communities rebuild after disasters,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in a statement.
During an event in Kentucky this week, McConnell defended the aid the United States has already provided to Ukraine.
“Most of the money that we spend related to Ukraine is actually spent in the U.S., replenishing weapons, more modern weapons, and improving our own military for what may lie ahead,” he said.
The Senate minority leader has been outspoken in the past about the need to provide supplemental aid to Ukraine, calling the defense spending levels in the new debt limit law “totally inadequate” in June.
“I supported the McCarthy-Biden deal, but I was not happy with the defense number,” McConnell said during a press conference with reporters. “The defense number is totally inadequate to meet the challenges that we have in Asia, not to mention Ukraine. I’m not sure right now how to fix it, but it’s a problem. It’s a serious problem that hopefully we’ll find some way over the course of the year to address.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also endorsed the latest supplemental request from Biden, claiming there is “strong bipartisan support in the Senate.” The New York senator also foreshadowed some of the challenges for the two chambers to reconcile their funding requests.
“We hope to join with our Republican colleagues this fall to avert an unnecessary government shutdown and fund this critical emergency supplemental request,” Schumer said.
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When lawmakers return to the nation’s capital, the House and Senate will have roughly three weeks ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a federal budget. Budget disagreements typically drag out as both parties fight to include their own priorities, with a final deal often not made until the 11th hour after a marathon voting session.
If lawmakers are unable to come to an agreement before the deadline, they could pass a continuing resolution that will keep funding at or close to current levels in an effort to give lawmakers more time to negotiate a deal. However, some hard-line conservatives are already ruling that process out, noting they aren’t afraid of enforcing a government shutdown to get the budget passed.