How Ukraine is destabilizing American politics: the shutdown’s case

Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli 

At the beginning of October, the United States Government managed to avoid the shutdown for only five hours, because Joe Biden signed a temporary law just before midnight, that is to say the last deadline beyond which the government would be forced to work in extremely limited conditions. In this way, the risk of shutdown, that would have stopped the financing of the whole activities, that are considered “not essential” by the White House, has been avoided, at least till the middle of November, when this temporary law will be replaced by the real budget law.

But why did America risk the Government’s shutdown? According to the American law, when the Congress can’t reach an agreement on the 12 laws that finance the following business year, from the beginning of October till the end of the following September, the

United States House of Representatives’ speaker has to find an agreement to promulgate the American budget law.

In this case, the Republican Kevin McCarthy, the United States House of Representatives’ speaker, wasn’t able to convince the more conservative party of the republicans, that finds more important making public expenditure cuts on several strategical fields, among which the support on Ukraine’s resistance. For this reason, McCarthy showed a continuing resolution, which is a stopgap measure that finances the government for 47 days, trying to reach an agreement between Democratics and Republicans, avoiding the Ukraine’s assistance in the budget law to be inserted.

The decision has immediately divided the Americans into two factions: the democratic party wanted to insert the Ukraine’s assistance in the budget law. And not only the democratics, but also Joe Biden stated that “under no circumstances will the American government stop helping Ukraine” and he was sure that McCarthy “wants to maintain such responsibility towards the Ukrainian government”. The outgoing Vice President Mike Pence stated that he didn’t agree with his brother Greg Pence, who voted against the budget law, while the United States secretary of defense Llyod Austin asked for a major financing towards Kiev: “I approve the Congress tonight’s decision, whose aim is to avoid an unnecessary and destructive shutdown […], but I demand the maintenance of the responsibility we took to give assistance towards the Ukrainian people, who fight to defend their country against the Tyranny”, he stated during the interview.

On the other hand, the republicans’s opinions are determined as well: the Kentucky House President Rand Paul stated that he is ready to “stop the hostage that Ukraine is doing on the United States”, and that “the US economy can’t be dragged down to save Ukraine”. The public opinion is divergent: according to a study published by Chicago Council on Global Affairs six American out of ten want to commit militar assistance towards Ukraine, while others want to end the financing.

The situation worried also the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that at the end of September had a meeting with the American President in order to discuss about hypothetical extra funds, that would have been used by Kiev to defend against Moscow’s aggression, and McCarthy rejected his willingness to intervene directly during a Congress’ Meeting. Zelenskyy’s response came during the Defence Day, when, without referring to an hypothetical American shutdown, stated that anything would have weakened Ukraine’s resistance, force, and bravery against Russia. Eventually, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, confirmed to have received reassurance about the american military assistance during a call with the United States secretary of defense Llyod Austin.

The stalemate came to an end during an historical event happened on the 3rd October: the democratics, led by the republican Matt Gaetz and his little allied’s group, decided to thorow the speaker Kevin McCarthy away from the House of Representatives for the first time in the United States of America. The role is now played by the republican Patrick McHerny, while the politicians are thinking about an official successor.

The designation of a new speaker becomes an essential fact for the international affairs, because he could play a leading role in the decision of future funds to be committed to assistance towards Ukraine.

Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2023