US Senate Republicans eye short-term funding bill without Ukraine money to avert shutdown

The US Senate Republicans are discussing a short-term government funding measure, perhaps lasting only two weeks, that would not include any significant money for Ukraine or disaster relief as part of a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, The Hill said, Report informs.

Senate Republicans at lunch debated proposing a clean two-week continuing resolution (CR) to buy more time for themselves to draft a border security amendment.

Senator Rand Paul predicted a clean short-term government funding stopgap could pass both chambers because it would move without money for Ukraine, which is a poison pill for many conservative Republicans.

“I think the most important thing is the CR with the Ukraine funding won’t pass the House,” he said. “Everybody needs to know that. That’s what they’ve said in the House.”

“The only thing that I think will pass the House and the Senate is a clean CR without Ukraine funding on it,” he added. “I will allow consent on any clean CR without Ukraine.”