Democrat senators temporarily halted Senate vote hours before shutdown over Ukraine funding

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet abstained from voting on a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown Saturday night, citing concerns about the lack of funding for Ukraine, sources told Fox News.

The short-term spending bill was approved by the House on Saturday afternoon after it passed it 335-91. It later passed the Senate late Saturday night with 88 yes to 9 votes.

The bill, whose passage drew applause from members of Congress amid pressure for a government shutdown, would fund the government for the next 45 days. The bill authorizes $16 billion in disaster relief, but does not include relief for Ukraine – which Democrat Bennet objected to.

Bennett told reporters that he was still able to make progress regarding giving more aid to Ukraine, which has been at war with Russian troops for a year and a half.

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“It worked because we were able to get a statement from the leadership that is going to be released soon, that talks about bipartisan support for fully funding Ukraine and ensuring that That we play a role that the whole world is counting on us to fulfill.” ” Bennett said.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said earlier Saturday afternoon that she expected “a big, big fight over Ukraine.”

Klobuchar said, “And I’m sure you’ll hear from the President and the Commander-in-Chief about how we will ensure that assistance to Ukraine will continue unimpeded.” “That’s going to be our number one goal.”

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US Capitol in Washington, DC (Anna Rose Leyden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters Saturday evening that she hoped the Ukraine matter would be resolved before midnight “to avoid a shutdown.” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told Fox News he didn’t know how long it would take for Bennet to agree to a CR.

If the Senate had rejected the bill, thousands of federal employees would have been furloughed and “non-essential” government programs would have been halted indefinitely.

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Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speak outside the Senate chamber after the House passed the 45-day continuing resolution on Saturday in Washington. Are. , DC (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital contacted Bennett’s office for comment, but did not receive a response.