- The US Senate approves the 2023 budget.
- This total volume is US$1.7 trillion.
- The House of Representatives will discuss the budget on Friday.
The Senate approved the package on Thursday afternoon. Half of the equivalent of 1.6 trillion Swiss francs is spent on defence. Aid money to Ukraine also finds its place in the budget. Almost 42 billion earmarked to support Ukraine. This money includes humanitarian and military aid. The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had campaigned for approval by the US Congress with a speech at the site.
Legend:
The US Capitol before sunrise on December 14, 2022.
Keystone/c. Scott Applewhite
Passing the budget bill would be a huge achievement for US President Joe Biden. The budget provides for more support for Ukraine than Biden has requested from Congress.
The package also includes electoral law reforms in response to the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol. The Vice President is now not expressly authorized to overturn the results of a presidential election. After Biden was elected, Mike Pence refused to officially confirm the result.
Avoid the “lockdown” horror scenario
In 2018, the United States could not agree on a budget. There was a lockdown, which meant that some departments were left without financial resources and had to be closed temporarily. In theory, this horror scenario still looms large.
If the House of Representatives refuses to approve the budget, there could be a shutdown at the beginning of next year. The deadline for approving the budget ends at midnight on Friday. However, it cannot be assumed that the deadline has expired, because the approval of the House of Representatives is considered certain.
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