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The White House and Ukraine supporters in Congress have emerged from the shutdown fight scrambling to secure more funding for Kyiv after it was left out of the spending bill to keep the government open.
Biden expressed confidence Sunday that Congress would approve additional funding for Kyiv after lawmakers bought themselves some more time by approving the stop-gap spending bill, which will keep the government open through Nov. 17.
"There's [an] overwhelming number of Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate who support Ukraine," Biden told reporters after delivering brief remarks at the White House on the new spending bill.
"I want to assure our American allies and the American people and the people of Ukraine that you can count on our support," Biden said. "We will not walk away."
The sentiment was shared by Ukraine backers in Congress, including a bipartisan group of senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who issued a joint statement the day Congress reached the spending bill saying they expected to reach a deal soon for more Ukraine aid.
"In the coming weeks, we expect the Senate will work to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine," the senators said.
Congress has several options for securing more military aid to Ukraine. One solution could be to pass the aid package backed by Schumer and McConnell.
Biden requested $24 billion for Ukraine in August, and lawmakers could use that as a starting point for negotiations on a new tranche of military and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv.
Biden said Sunday that Republicans and Democrats reached a deal to vote on a new Ukraine aid package, but did not provide further details, but he also acknowledged that any such deal is contingent on Republican support.
If negotiations on a separate aid package for Kyiv fall apart, the White House and pro-Ukraine lawmakers could push for more funding in the spending bill that Congress must pass to keep the government funded past mid-November.
Whichever route they choose, Ukraine supporters will face strong opposition from conservative House Republicans who have become increasingly vocal about ending military aid to Kyiv.
That growing opposition from far-right GOP lawmakers comes as several 2024 Republican candidates—including former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—have signaled they oppose a lengthy U.S. involvement in the war.
The standoff over Ukraine in Congress also followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's trip last week to Washington to plead for more support from the U.S. government.
Schumer said that Zelensky issued a blunt warning to lawmakers that Ukraine would lose the war if it does not receive additional aid to replace the current funding when it runs out.
Biden echoed Zelensky in calling on Congress to move quickly.
"We have time" to strike a deal, Biden said Sunday. But "not much time. And there's an overwhelming sense of urgency."
About the writer
Daniel Bush is a Newsweek White House correspondent based in Washington, D.C. His focus is reporting on national politics and ... Read more