How $6 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine collapsed in the deal to avoid a government shutdown

The situation with Ukraine aid in Congress took a long time to unravel. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell had been worried about it for a while.

McConnell had warned that support for Ukraine in politics was at risk because some Republican lawmakers were strongly against sending U.S. money overseas to help Ukraine fight against Russia.

First, he gave important speeches this summer, and then he talked to the White House directly. McConnell, who had visited Kyiv and made supporting Ukraine a top priority, was trying to persuade the more conservative members of his party.

But in the end, neither McConnell nor the White House nor the Democrats in Congress could get a smaller $6 billion aid package for Ukraine approved during last week's deal to avoid a U.S. government shutdown.

Even though most people in Washington agreed on stopping Russia's invasion, the failure to approve aid for Ukraine was a big setback for the government, which was trying to lead a Western alliance to protect Ukraine as the fighting continued.

It also shows the challenges in Washington as a group of Republican lawmakers, who are a minority in Congress, use their power to go against the majority. What happens next is uncertain.

President Joe Biden said, "It does worry me, but I know there are a majority of members in the House and Senate - both parties - who have said that they support funding Ukraine."

Biden is getting ready to give a big speech about U.S. aid to Ukraine and has a plan to make sure assistance keeps going after the problems in Congress, which included the removal of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Now, there's a lot of political blame going around because the White House and Congress couldn't work together to help Ukraine due to a small group of lawmakers putting the aid in danger.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, said, "Not another penny for Ukraine!" She thinks the money should be spent on securing the U.S. border with Mexico instead.

McConnell had been trying to build support for Ukraine for months. He had met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in May. He gave many speeches, talked to allies in other countries, and made Ukraine his main issue among his colleagues in Capitol Hill.

However, when the White House asked for $24 billion in aid for Ukraine in August, McConnell knew it wouldn't get enough support to pass.

A week before the deadline to fund the government and pass the Ukraine aid request, McConnell told Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, that it would be impossible to get the full $24 billion, according to someone familiar with the situation.

Instead, McConnell suggested that the White House find other ways to send Ukraine aid in the short term.

The White House had talks with McConnell's team and insisted that Ukraine aid was crucial. Eventually, the Senate passed a package to keep the government running with $6 billion for Ukraine.

But the problem was that Democratic leaders in Congress hadn't made Ukraine a top priority, and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was facing his own issues in the Republican-led House.

Hard-line Republicans in the House, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, pushed McCarthy to remove $300 million in Ukraine security assistance funds from a yearly defense funding bill.

This showed how a growing group of about 100 Republicans was taking control away from the majority who supported the bill.

Facing a possible government shutdown, McCarthy removed the $6 billion Ukraine aid from the federal funding package before the House vote.

McConnell tried to convince his fellow Republican senators to keep the Ukraine aid in the package, but they disagreed. They thought the best way to avoid a shutdown was to move forward with the House version, which didn't include the Ukraine money.

So, McConnell changed his stance, and the Senate Republicans voted against their own bill, waiting to see what the House would do.

The House approved the package without the Ukraine aid just before the midnight deadline to keep the government open.

In the end, not only was the $6 billion in Ukraine aid gone, but so were the provisions to transfer funds to Ukraine. This was what McConnell had been trying to prevent.

Afterward, the White House said that McCarthy had made a commitment to Ukraine beyond what was in the package. But McCarthy said there was no "secret deal" with Biden on Ukraine and that they would fix any confusion.

The next day, McCarthy was removed from office due to long-standing issues with his leadership, leaving the future of Ukraine funding uncertain.

Biden's speech about Ukraine aid is on the way. The White House is waiting for the House to elect a new speaker and is working with Congress to ensure funds can be transferred and provide more support for Ukraine. Please Share This News Thank You

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