The government funding bill is passed by Congress, averting a shutdown and providing nearly $14 billion in aid for Ukraine.

• A bill was passed by the Senate to finance the government until September, thereby averting a shutdown.
• The legislation provides $13.6 billion for humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion.
• Lawmakers scrapped $15.6 billion in supplemental coronavirus relief from the plan.

On Thursday night, the Senate approved a $1.5 trillion funding bill to keep the government operational until September and enhance both humanitarian and military aid in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the House passed legislation that the Senate approved in a 68-31 vote. It will now go to President Joe Biden for his signature.

To prevent a lapse in funding, Congress had to pass a spending bill by Friday. However, Biden signed a separate plan passed by Congress to avert a shutdown through Tuesday before signing the 2,700-page legislation.

The reduction of federal worker hours due to funding shortages can negatively impact the economy and cause the government to reduce its services.

After months of temporary funding through continuing resolutions, lawmakers passed a full-year spending bill to keep the government running at existing levels.

The bill passed on Thursday contains $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine as it faces its third week of fighting against Russian invasion. This funding will assist the Ukrainians who have been displaced by the Russian attack, including the over 2 million people who have fled the country.

It will also fund the deployment of military equipment and troops to Europe.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, stated that the Ukrainians would receive billions of dollars for food, medicine, shelter, and support for the over two million refugees who have fled Ukraine, as well as funding for weapons transfers like Javelins and Stingers, prior to the vote.

The House may not have enough GOP support to pass the pandemic aid bill next week, as it had to scrap $15.6 billion in supplemental coronavirus relief funds from the plan after a dispute over how to meet Republican demands to offset the spending.

Schumer stated that Congress "absolutely must" make an effort to approve additional coronavirus aid in the near future.