Senate Dem threatens government shutdown unless speaker includes Ukraine aid in spending pact

A Senate Democrat threatened to vote against a second package to fund the government unless House Speaker Mike Johnson adds Ukraine aid to the mix.

Lawmakers in both chambers want to send more money to the war-beleaguered country, a process snagged in the GOP-led House.

Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, faces pressure to decide on Ukraine aid and signaled during the GOP’s retreat in West Virginia this week that he anticipates putting Ukraine and Israel aid, together or separately, up for a vote.

But in comments to Politico, he stressed that aid won’t be attached to the package to fund the remaining six government agencies, a pact expected to be released Sunday.

Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado Democrat, said on Friday that the speaker’s comment made it clear that “he doesn’t have a real plan to pass Ukraine aid.”

“That is unacceptable,” Mr. Bennet posted on X. “As I said yesterday, the government funding package should include Ukraine aid. Democrats should reject it if it doesn’t.”

Should his colleagues heed Mr. Bennet’s calls in the Democrat-led Senate, it could mean a partial government shutdown, which Mr. Johnson and other congressional leaders have been trying to avoid the past six months.

It’s a similar play from the House GOP’s playbook, where different factions of the conference have threatened to shutter the government or kill innocuous legislation as a bargaining chip to get what they want.

Congress has until March 22 to fully fund the government, and Mr. Johnson hopes to put an end to the fight he inherited after winning the gavel last fall.

Aside from Mr. Bennet’s sentiments, the next six-bill package could face issues on its own, particularly over policy division with the Homeland Security funding bill.

Any chance for Ukraine aid to appear on the House floor likely won’t come until mid-April because Congress is set to take a two-week recess following March 22. That could change if the funding package hits a snag and a partial government shutdown ensues.