US lawmakers sideline Ukraine to reach budget deal — RT World News

Republican and Democratic leaders have reached an agreement on US government spending for 2024, sidelining negotiations to secure additional resources for Israel and Ukraine, as well as money for border control.

The deal comes as lawmakers are scheduled to return from a recess this week, ahead of a deadline for federal funding on two levels.

The agreement comes after defense and domestic spending limits set by Congress as part of a bill to suspend the US debt ceiling until 2025. “It paves the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks to preserve important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement with top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.

The first set of allocated federal financial resources is scheduled to expire on January 19, and the second on February 2, without which the US government will be forced to close its doors.

Overall, the deal provides for $886 billion in defense funding and $772 billion in non-defense domestic spending.

In a letter to his Republican colleagues, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the deal would secure an additional $16 billion in spending cuts compared to the previous agreement negotiated by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden, which is about $30 billion less than what the Senate had. . Weight.

“This represents the most favorable budget deal Republicans have achieved in more than a decade.” Johnson claimed.

Biden thanked lawmakers for their cooperation in reaching consensus in a statement published on Sunday, but added that he expected them to work harder to unlock billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and Ukraine.

“Now, Republicans in Congress must do their job, stop threatening a government shutdown, and fulfill their primary responsibility to fund critical homeland and national security priorities, including my supplemental request.” He said.

In October 2023, the White House released a wide range of proposals to support Israel and Ukraine in their military conflicts, among other things. The total cost of the additional financing request was more than $100 billion, of which just over $60 billion was allocated to Kiev. Republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked the repetition of this supplemental budget several times, on the grounds that US border security must take precedence over aid to Ukraine.