House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday backtracked and said he will keep the $300 million of Ukraine aid in the Pentagon funding bill.
On Friday it was reported that the Pentagon will exempt Ukraine funding from a possible government shutdown as House Republicans argue over the stopgap bill.
“The Pentagon will exempt its Ukraine operations from a potential shutdown if lawmakers can’t agree on a deal to fund the government by the end of the month, allowing key training and other activities in support of Kyiv’s forces to move ahead uninterrupted, according to a Defense Department spokesperson,” Politico reported.
“But if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement and government appropriations lapse, DOD has decided to continue activities supporting Ukraine, DOD spokesperson Chris Sherwood told POLITICO Thursday — just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and other senior leaders at the Pentagon.” according to Politico.