US averts government shutdown

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill rebuffed ongoing pleas by the administration to include new assistance for Ukraine in a stopgap funding measure, deeply disappointing many supporters of Kyiv and leaving the future of US support for the country uncertain.

A top official from the Pentagon told lawmakers on Friday the Department of Defense “has exhausted nearly all available security assistance funding for Ukraine,” offering stark warnings about the battlefield effects of failing to pass new assistance. 

Officials from the administration argued to lawmakers on Friday and Saturday that continued funding for Ukraine was necessary both for operational purposes on the battlefield and as a show of support to US allies.

But ultimately, the continuing resolution that passed the House contained no new funding for Ukraine, amid opposition from some hardline Republicans. The failure to pass new Ukraine funding came only a matter of days after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky personally appealed for continued US support on Capitol Hill and after President Joe Biden and top aides voiced confidence that new funding would be approved. 

After the stopgap measure without Ukraine aid passed the House on Saturday afternoon, a White House official called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to quickly bring new Ukraine funding up for a vote in the House. Biden has requested $24 billion in additional Ukraine funding.

Lawmakers also said they expected new Ukraine funding to be forthcoming.

Still, the failure to pass new funding amounted to a disappointment for supporters of Kyiv, and some administration officials privately said they feared it could demonstrate weakness in the face of Russian aggression.

Senate Democrats will caucus today at 3:45 p.m. ET, according to a Senate Democratic aide.

This comes after the House passed its version of a short-term funding bill earlier Saturday, with bipartisan support. The Senate will have to start working on it soon if it plans to pass the same bill before the government shuts down. 

Following the passage of a House spending bill that may avert a government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy criticized his Republican colleagues who repeatedly voted against his efforts.

Some context: McCarthy has faced constant resistance from hardline conservatives within his party. Those lawmakers are expected to eventually force a vote on ousting him from the speakership.

Conservative hardliners in the Republican Party are expected to force a vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, just "not yet," according to a Republican lawmaker.

The House is gaveled out until Monday, so that is the earliest they could bring up the motion. Leadership would then have two days to schedule the vote.

It’s a moment both McCarthy’s critics and the speaker himself have been preparing for, but now the threat has become real, since McCarthy opted to put a stopgap bill on the floor that had more Democratic support than from Republicans. 

McCarthy has remained defiant Saturday when faced with open criticism and threats to remove him as speaker.

But McCarthy would not answer directly when asked if he will need Democratic votes to keep him in the speakership, should a motion to vacate (remove him) come to the floor. 

This post has been updated with comments from McCarthy.

All eyes are on the Senate after the House passed a bill with broad bipartisan support to avert a government shutdown.

While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn't said he will bring up the bill, Democrats in the chamber huddled on the Senate floor after the House vote.

While some Democratic senators, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheed, said they were "disappointed" by the lack of Ukraine aid in the bill, at least two other Democratic senators have expressed optimism that they can pass the bill.

Sen. Joe Manchin said while heading to a caucus meeting, "Cooler heads prevailing; we'll have no shutdown."

When asked if the Senate would pass the bill before midnight, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN earlier Saturday, "I'm sure they want that to happen."

Meanwhile, Republican senators are signaling that they think they can keep the government open. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that there "is growing hope we may actually avoid a shutdown."

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said he believes Schumer will have to bring it up because so many House Democrats voted for the bill. 

One major hurdle for the Senate's quick consideration of government funding had been GOP Sen. Rand Paul's vow to slow down any spending bill with Ukraine funding attached. This version does not include that funding, and Paul has said he would not object to a time agreement — meaning it could pass the Senate before the midnight deadline. 

As the House was gaveling out, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida — a hardliner who has opposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's stopgap spending bill — shouted "Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker," in an attempt to get the attention of Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas in the chair.

But Gaetz was not recognized and the House adjourned.

The Biden administration would likely support the short-term funding compromise that just passed the House with bipartisan votes, a White House official tells CNN.

The White House had previously lent its support to a Senate-brokered deal that included $6.2 billion in funding for Ukraine. But without a path forward for that deal, avoiding a government shutdown takes priority.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to hold a news conference soon, in the wake of the House passing a stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, to fund the government for 45 days.

The resolution was supported overwhelmingly by House Democrats and must now pass the Senate.

In a key step to avoid a government shutdown, the House passed a 45-day short term spending resolution, which includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security. The final vote tally was 335-91.

The only Democrat to vote against was Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois.

The bill needed two-thirds of House members voting to support it, since it was brought up through an expedited process. The bill now heads to the Senate.