Main Topic: The Senate has passed a defense bill with a 5.2% pay raise for service members and bipartisan support, setting up a clash with the House.
Key Points:
1. Senate passage of the defense bill with bipartisan support sets up a clash with the House, which passed its own version along party lines.
2. The Senate bill focuses on military policy and countering potential adversaries, with bipartisan amendments addressing issues like NATO withdrawal, foreign land purchases, and technology oversight.
3. Unresolved issues include a senator's protest of the Defense Department's abortion policy and the difference in approach to abortion between the Senate and House bills.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged lawmakers to continue supporting Ukraine and criticized President Biden for not being decisive enough in response to Russian aggression, emphasizing the importance of aiding Ukraine in weakening Russia without military conflict. McConnell's stance contrasts with some Republicans who have called for reducing aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration has requested roughly $40 billion in supplemental funding, with about half of it allocated for Ukraine. McConnell stated that lawmakers will have the opportunity to vote on this aid when considering a short-term spending deal.
The Senate plans to take control of funding the government by considering a "minibus" of spending bills, while the House faces challenges in moving forward with partisan packages.
The Senate is displaying a rare unified front on government funding, putting pressure on the Republican-led House as the deadline to avert a shutdown nears.
Republican lawmakers, particularly conservatives, are threatening to hold up government funding unless their demands on issues such as a border wall, investigations into the Biden family, and Ukraine aid are met, raising concerns about a potential government shutdown.
House Republicans are divided over government spending, with hard-right lawmakers refusing to compromise on conservative demands, leading to the postponement of crucial votes and increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown.
House Republicans' approach to government funding, which includes spending cuts and conservative policy priorities, has created a stark contrast with the Senate's bipartisan strategy, potentially leading to a damaging government shutdown.
Several House Republicans have reached a short-term funding deal to keep the government running, but it remains uncertain whether the proposal will gain enough support and pass in the Senate.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are preparing separate spending bills in an attempt to prevent a government shutdown, but these bills are expected to be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
A bipartisan group of Senators and House members are pushing for legislation that would automatically fund the government past spending deadlines, effectively ending shutdown threats.
Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate have until September 30 to pass a spending bill to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, with Republican and Democrat leaders trying to navigate internal disagreements in their respective parties.
Lawmakers are facing a tight deadline to reach an agreement on a budget resolution to avoid a government shutdown as spending laws are set to expire on September 30. House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are struggling to unite the GOP caucus and secure enough votes for a deal, while Democratic support would come with political consequences. Failure to reach an agreement would result in paused paychecks for federal employees and disruption of government services.
Senators from both parties are debating whether to include new military aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, with some Republicans concerned about complicating Speaker Kevin McCarthy's attempts to resolve the spending logjam.
Senate Democrats and Republicans have reached a short-term funding deal that would fund the government for six weeks while providing additional funding for Ukraine and domestic disaster relief, clearing its first procedural hurdle with a vote of 77-19, but its future in the House is uncertain.
House Republicans passed a procedural hurdle on government funding after a week of disarray, advancing four appropriations bills in order to avoid a government shutdown.
House Republicans have rejected a bipartisan bill to fund government agencies, increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown by the weekend if legislation is not passed by Congress.
The Senate has passed a bipartisan bill to extend funding and prevent a government shutdown, although it may not be sufficient to avoid a shutdown entirely.
The House and Senate are moving forward with their own government funding plans, with the Senate unveiling a bipartisan measure that extends funding through Nov. 17 and provides money for Ukraine and disaster relief, while House Republicans advanced four GOP-crafted full-year spending bills that will not prevent a shutdown.
House Republicans' push for full-year funding bills and a short-term funding patch collide with the House Oversight Committee's first hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, as the Senate scrambles to avoid a government shutdown.
Growing Republican divisions over U.S. aid to Ukraine are posing a threat to Congress passing additional funding to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, raising concerns of a government shutdown and highlighting a new isolationist streak within the party.
House Republicans are prepared to oppose a last-minute proposal for a temporary funding agreement in the Senate, leading to an increased likelihood of a government shutdown.
House Republicans have approved legislation to fund the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2024 after removing Ukraine funding from the bill.
The Senate's negotiations over the $1 trillion farm and food legislation are unraveling as Republicans and Democrats clash over climate change and other issues, leading to concerns that the bill will be sidelined for longer than anticipated.
House Republicans propose a short-term spending bill with across-the-board cuts and exemptions for national defense, veterans affairs, and homeland security, but it is uncertain if it will pass the House or Senate and a government shutdown is a possibility.
Top U.S. Senate leaders express bipartisan commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, pledging to ensure sustained support in defense and economic matters, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urges Congress to provide aid for Ukraine.
The Senate's pro-Ukraine coalition is facing division and tricky politics within the Republican Party as they attempt to secure aid for Ukraine through a single funding bill that can last through the 2024 election, in order to avoid protracted battles and ensure a continued stream of military aid.
The battle over funding for Ukraine is intensifying in the House as lawmakers race to approve funding bills, with some Republicans declaring it an existential threat to global security and vowing to fight for Ukraine to be funded.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell faced a significant setback when Republicans in the Senate passed the House GOP's short-term spending bill, which did not include provisions for Ukraine funding, despite McConnell's repeated calls for prioritizing it.
Twenty Republican senators have vowed to delay any legislation unrelated to funding the government in an effort to prevent a government shutdown and avoid passing another massive omnibus spending package.
Senate Republicans plan to block non-spending bills in order to prioritize passing government spending legislation before the current Continuing Resolution expires.
Nine Republican senators are urging Senate leadership to separate US aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing that combining the two could create political complications and jeopardize support for Israel, while the White House is expected to propose a $100 billion foreign funding request that includes aid for both countries.
A group of Republican senators is introducing legislation to redirect funds from Gaza to help replenish Israel's defensive Iron Dome system in response to the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The Senate has reached a deal on three bipartisan government funding bills, allowing progress on legislation that has been on the floor since last month.
