WASHINGTON, October 1. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden has supported the bill adopted by both chambers of Congress to extend the funding of the country's government for 45 days (until November 17), which does not include aid to Ukraine, according to the president’s statement published by the White House.
"Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans. This bill ensures that active-duty troops will continue to get paid, travelers will be spared airport delays, millions of women and children will continue to have access to vital nutrition assistance, and so much more. This is good news for the American people," the president said. The statement, however, does not say whether he has already signed the draft extension of funding for the government. At the same time, Biden expressed confidence that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Republican from the state of California) will secure the adoption of the initiative to provide additional aid to Ukraine.
"While the Speaker and the overwhelming majority of Congress have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine, there is no new funding in this agreement to continue that support. We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted. I fully expect the Speaker will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment," the president said.
Biden also said that the US "should never have been in this position in the first place." The bill to extend funding for the federal government was approved a few hours before a possible shutdown.