USA, House Of Representatives Approves Plan To Combat Shutdown Without Assistance To Ukraine And Israel

The US House of Representatives, with a decisive vote of Democrats, in an assembly with a Republican majority approved a measure that will avoid shutdown, i.e., blocking the state funding with consequences for the army, transport, housing, and government.

The Transition Act was passed by a bipartisan vote: 336 voted yes, 95 voted no, with 209 Democrats voting yes – numbers that could represent a wake-up call for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson. A new Speaker of the House of Representatives was elected on October 26, after a 22-day deadlock in the Assembly, replacing Kevin McCarthy, who resigned after approval of the latest funding bill, which expires at midnight on Friday, November 17. This date represents the deadline for Senate approval, followed by ratification by President Biden. With 93 Republicans and two Democrats opposing the legislation, the ball now shifts to the Senate, where Democrats have a majority and where there should be no problem, given that leaders of both parties have already said they will vote in favor.

To highlight the differences between the two political camps in the USA, as well as within the Republican Party itself, it is worth noting the fact that this measure does not include any further assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Public opinion and some representative bodies are clearly tired of Washington’s foreign policy. Joe Biden has asked for $106 billion for “security for Ukraine and Israel”. The temporary funding will most likely pass, but the White House’s foreign policy goals are at risk. Last week, the Pentagon warned that 95% of the funds allocated to Ukraine had been exhausted and therefore they would have to “reduce support for Kiev.”