Senator Carper Statement on the Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Funding Agreement

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass the bipartisan funding agreement, H.R. 5860, which would provide short-term funding for the federal government, by a vote of 88-9:

“The Senate voted today to avert a government shutdown, which could have been disastrous for our country and its people. The shutdown would have forced our brave men and women in uniform to report for duty without pay, left children – who rely on government programs for food assistance – to go hungry, and would have weakened our local law enforcement – including at our borders – at a time when we need to be strengthening our national security.

“Like many Americans, I’m relieved Congressional Republicans came to their senses to avoid an unnecessary, reckless, and entirely manufactured shutdown that could have been avoided. In truth, this is only a band aid, as this temporary funding will only last until November 17^th. We must come together, Democrats and Republicans, to fund the government with a long-term solution.

“It’s also imperative that we meet our moral obligation to support the Ukrainian people who have suffered enormously at the hands of Vladimir Putin. I’m extremely disappointed that this bill did not include necessary funding for our ally Ukraine. Just last week, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a standing ovation after his address in the U.S. Capitol. And this week we missed an opportunity by not providing the Ukrainian people with the support they need – support we promised – in a timely manner. Failure to provide additional funds for Ukraine may further embolden Russia and China, and it sends the wrong signal to the world. The United States must continue to provide strong leadership for the coalition that has risen up to provide support for Ukraine, and we will not back down in the face of Putin’s unjustified aggression. Having said that, it’s not just up to Congress to find a path forward. It’s also up to the Biden Administration to find other ways to avoid interruption of the aid to the Ukrainian people.”