{"id":33306,"date":"2023-04-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:27:16","slug":"from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 From a room on Capitol Hill, packed with roughly 100 representatives from companies that help build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, came the disgruntled murmurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group had just received an ominous warning from Sen. Tim Kaine: Congress may not pass a budget for the next fiscal year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, told the members of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition that Congress is divided over an intertwined debate about the debt ceiling and spending. He warned the gridlock could mean lawmakers may have to rely on a full-year continuing resolution that would cap defense at this year\u2019s levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe drama is being pushed from the debt ceiling to\u201d a discussion about the size of the federal budget, Kaine said. \u201cMy worry would be that the House will not be able to do an [appropriations] bill that can pass the House with the kinds of cuts that they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coalition members had assembled to lobby Congress to approve multi-ship contracts for aircraft carriers, but Kaine suggested they may have to fight simply for Congress to do one of its most basic duties: passing a budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is deadlocked with the White House over raising the debt ceiling amid Republican demands to curb spending while simultaneously increasing the defense budget. At the same time, he\u2019s likely to face another divisive issue within his caucus in the months ahead: additional emergency defense and economic spending for Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of that means Congress is poised to rehash a decade-old fight in a divided government, and the Pentagon may no longer be able to rely on the massive defense budget increases it has grown accustomed to in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new, yet familiar political dynamics on Capitol Hill mean the Defense Department could have to contend with, at best, a flat budget that fails to keep pace with inflation or, at worst, sweeping defense budget cuts if lawmakers inadvertently force themselves into a corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeems like we could be backing ourselves into sequestration,\u201d Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who chairs the House Armed Services Committee\u2019s readiness panel, told McCarthy on a conference call in January during his unusually protracted speakership battle, as reported by Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, Congress failed to agree on deficit-reduction measures, triggering sequestration: an $85 billion, across-the-board reduction in federal spending, half from the defense budget. A 2011 showdown between a Republican House and the Democratic-held White House and Senate over the debt ceiling led to the start of sequestration in 2013, which the Defense Department then coped with throughout much of the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When sequestration first hit in 2013, the Navy postponed the deployment of the aircraft carrier Harry Truman to the Persian Gulf, the Air Force stood down 31 squadrons, the Army furloughed nearly 200,000 civilian employees and additional furloughs at shipyards resulted in yearslong maintenance backlogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said in 2015 that under sequestration, the military was depending on overseas contingency operations, or OCO, emergency funding for U.S. wars in the Greater Middle East \u201cto mitigate risk\u201d when managing its forces in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward 10 years later and House Republicans are using the debt ceiling as leverage to enact steep spending cuts. As one of the many concessions made to win his speakership race, McCarthy promised the right-most flank of his caucus that he would slash fiscal 2024 spending by at least $130 billion. Those same members are also pressing him to turn off the spigot of emergency spending for Ukraine<\/a> after Congress passed $61 billion in military aid to Kyiv last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine funding has allowed the Defense Department to circumvent some budgetary pressures, similar to the way OCO allowed it to evade some of sequestration\u2019s impact. For instance, the Army has already received funding totaling one-third of its annual procurement budget from the Ukraine supplementals<\/a>, allowing it to replace older systems sent to Kyiv with newer weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the other end of the caucus, Republican defense hawks have blasted President Joe Biden\u2019s proposed $886 billion defense budget<\/a> for FY24 \u2014 up 3.3% from last year \u2014 as \u201cwoefully inadequate.\u201d These lawmakers want to grow the top line even as they officially maintain they will cap federal discretionary spending at FY22 levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy can only achieve his goals along party lines, and he only has five Republican votes to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress will likely need to pass another emergency spending supplemental for Ukraine in the coming months. The chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Ken Calvert, noted at a late March hearing that the Biden administration only has two to three months left of the $14.5 billion in presidential drawdown authority Congress authorized in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calvert, R-Calif., accused the Biden administration of \u201cgiving Ukraine just enough assistance to survive, but not enough to win,\u201d even as he echoed McCarthy\u2019s line from last year\u2019s midterm elections that Republicans will not write \u201cblank checks\u201d for Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A little bit bigger\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The more Republicans seek to grow the defense top line, the deeper they\u2019ll have to dig into the non-=defense budget to stay in line with McCarthy\u2019s agreement to cap spending at FY22 levels. The defense budget already accounts for roughly half of annual discretionary spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese spending proposals are fine in theory until you as a representative have to go back to your district and have to face a town hall meeting about the jobs in my district,\u201d said Byron Callan, a defense budget specialist and managing director at Capital Alpha Partners, a Washington-based consulting firm. \u201cCan we cut nondefense to fund defense? No. I\u2019m skeptical about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That hasn\u2019t deterred Republican defense hawks from seeking to allocate billions of dollars more in military spending beyond Biden\u2019s FY24 budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cObviously I\u2019m concerned about this budget,\u201d Calvert told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the March hearing. \u201cWe\u2019re going to work together to plus this up somewhat to make sure we meet the requirements..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the hearing, Calvert told Defense News he wants to grow the defense top line by 3% to 5% over inflation, citing former Defense Secretary James Mattis\u2019 2018 testimony<\/a> that the Pentagon needs annual growth at that rate to compete with China and Russia. As he seeks to grow the top line, Calvert is also looking to sooth fiscal hawks in his party by proposing potential cost-cutting measures at the Defense Department such as trimming the civilian workforce<\/a>, which he argues could save $125 billion over five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testify during a hearing on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023. The military leaders spoke about the Defense Department’s fiscal 2024 budget request. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccounting for inflation, the president has now asked Congress to cut military spending for three years in a row, despite a worsening threat environment,\u201d Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans said in a statement after Biden released his FY24 budget proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s budget predicts a 4.3% inflation rate for FY23 \u2014 the current fiscal year \u2014 and the defense budget stands at $858 billion. Calvert\u2019s goal of growing defense spending at 3% to 5% over inflation means Republicans would seek a range of $921 billion to $937 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., indicated Republicans may stick to the lower end of that range, noting he views Biden\u2019s defense budget proposal as better than last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a little bit bigger,\u201d Rogers told Defense News. \u201cHe didn\u2019t come in at an embarrassingly bad number like he did last year, but it doesn\u2019t cover inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House came under heavy fire from defense hawks in both parties last year for drastically underestimating the inflation rate<\/a>. The Office of Management and Budget projected 2.2% in inflation for FY22, but it actually came in at 6.5%, per the consumer price index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Republicans teamed up with centrist Democrats last year to add $45 billion to Biden\u2019s $813 billion FY23 defense budget<\/a> proposal. The boost included $4 billion extra for ship procurement and maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee\u2019s defense panel, defended Biden\u2019s recent FY24 budget plan as \u201cconsistent with the National Defense Strategy.\u201d She noted the defense budget has grown by nearly $100 billion over the past two fiscal years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New defense money this year could once again go toward bolstering the U.S. naval fleet and its presence in the Pacific. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command submitted a $3.5 billion unfunded priorities list to Congress in March<\/a> that includes everything from munitions development to security cooperation with U.S. allies in the region to missile defense and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Defense News in March she\u2019s worried Biden\u2019s proposed budget undermines the Navy\u2019s ultimate goal of 373 crewed ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina is on pace to have a 400-ship fleet, and we today have only 296,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Republicans and some Democrats, including Kaine, hammered Navy officials during hearings in late March over their plans to retire three amphibious ships<\/a> for the Marines, bringing that fleet below the 31-ship statutory requirement Congress enacted last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what happens next if, as Kaine worries, the debate over federal spending in a divided Congress leads to a flat budget? Or what if, as Waltz warned, there are sequestration-style cuts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am concerned about backtracking on the defense top line,\u201d former Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, who chaired the House Armed Services Committee under sequestration, told Defense News. \u201cSo much of defense spending is locked in \u2014 personnel, various contracts, etc. \u2014 that when cuts are made, they tend to come out of certain [operations and maintenance] categories, like spare parts and maintenance and sometimes people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, a 2018 Military Times investigation<\/a> found sequestration partially contributed to a 40% uptick in aircraft accidents from 2013 to 2017. Thornberry also recounted talking to a Marine pilot during sequestration who needed a landing gear door for an F-18 Super Hornet, but had to resort to cannibalizing one from a plane at a museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Ukraine funding the new OCO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if the defense budget top line fails to outpace inflation, supplemental aid packages could significantly boost Pentagon spending levels for FY24. The department left future aid amounts out of its base budget request this year<\/a> and instead intends to rely on Congress to continue bankrolling the war effort via emergency supplemental spending while waiting to see if Ukraine can retake parts of its territory<\/a> from Russia in a potential spring offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUkraine support above the pre-conflict levels is not in this budget; the situation remains too fluid,\u201d Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord said March 13. \u201cThe way we\u2019re handling this is the way we\u2019ve handled every emerging situation in the last few years, and that\u2019s supplementals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Calvert criticized the Biden administration at his panel\u2019s March 23 hearing for opting not to include additional Ukraine aid in its base budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that you communicate future requests for funding for Ukraine clearly, thoroughly and early,\u201d Calvert told Austin. \u201cCongress will need sufficient time to review and ask questions on any requests submitted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Total defense spending for FY23 \u2014 which ends Sept. 30 \u2014 will come to $893 billion after accounting for $35.4 billion in emergency Ukraine aid. Total FY22 defense spending came to $794 billion after Congress allocated an additional $26 billion in Ukraine aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted in February much of the Ukraine aid money is spent in the U.S. as the Pentagon uses it to backfill weapons sent to Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe U.S. is largely sending Ukraine older weapons from our stockpile,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cThis means that a significant portion of the money Congress has appropriated is going directly to strengthen America\u2019s own defense by replenishing our inventories with more modern versions of these older weapons we have transferred to Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, the Army asked for 91 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles in the FY24 base budget request but is actually slated to buy a total of 197 next year after factoring in supplemental funding to backfill 1960s-era M113 armored personnel carriers <\/a>sent to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ukrainian servicemen drive an M113 armored personnel carrier in the town of Chasiv Yar as smoke rises from the direction of Bakhmut on March 20, 2023. (Aris Messinis\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Congress started using emergency spending in the early 2000s to help fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq outside of the base budget through the overseas contingency operations account. From 2013 to 2021, Congress routinely used OCO funds to circumvent the defense spending caps imposed by sequestration, even as nondefense spending remained subject to spending limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Congressional Budget Office, OCO spending averaged about $119 billion per year before Biden\u2019s FY22 budget request eliminated it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., likened it to a \u201cslush fund,\u201d while former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., called it a \u201cbudget gimmick.\u201d And former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., described it as \u201ca backdoor loophole that undermines the integrity of the budget process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travis Sharp, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said in December that continuing to fund Ukraine aid through supplemental emergency spending instead of the base budget allows the war-torn country to avoid \u201cgetting caught up in other issues that tend to get gridlocked in Congress, including omnibus appropriations and other things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republican leaders have gone to great lengths to spotlight a multiyear plan for Ukraine aid oversight<\/a> and end-use monitoring to temper skepticism within their party, but that has done little to appease conservative voices opposed to Ukraine aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, held a March 29 hearing on Ukraine aid oversight where he noted \u201capproximately 60%\u201d of the assistance Congress has provided so far \u201cis going to American troops, American workers and to modernizing American stockpiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCaul led a House Republican delegation to Ukraine and Poland in February with an emphasis on ensuring Kyiv has properly used U.S. materiel and economic aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were encouraged to learn that, to date, no significant acts of fraud or misuse involving U.S. assistance have occurred,\u201d McCaul said in a statement after the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That didn\u2019t stop McCaul from backing a broad resolution from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., which would require the White House, Defense Department and State Department to give Congress all documentation related to Ukraine emergency aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the resolution 26-20 on party lines on March 24. It\u2019s now up to McCarthy and Republican leaders as to whether that resolution gets a vote on the House floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple Defense Department officials and Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch have testified before Congress that U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine have not been diverted from their intended use. Still, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate on March 28 that the lack of U.S. troops or civilian personnel in Ukraine has placed limitations on aid oversight mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as rigorous as you might think, but I think the biggest way to measure accountability is their effectiveness against Russian forces,\u201d Milley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republican skeptics aside, pro-Ukraine lawmakers in both parties are starting to seek more consistency in the budget process and more clarity on how much more aid they will need to send Kyiv going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy personal preference would be to bake it into the base budget,\u201d Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told Defense News in March. \u201cThat sends a very positive signal to Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several House defense appropriators grilled defense officials on the subject the month prior in a hearing devoted entirely to Ukraine aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, called on the Defense Department to \u201cbe totally honest with everybody about what this is all going to cost,\u201d while Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said the Biden administration needs to \u201cdo a better job of messaging on this long term, especially over the next two years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress’ attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":117313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[65,38,31,15,9],"tags":[8477,8496,8420,8421,8513],"coauthors":[3230],"class_list":["post-33306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budget","category-congress","category-home","category-management","category-federal-oversight","tag-china","tag-europe","tag-special-report","tag-special-reports","tag-ukraine"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RJ43VP4HRJETDLVDDMWHDRYO6M","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nFrom Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bryant Harris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bryant Harris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 2671,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"keywords\": [\n\t \"china\",\n\t \"europe\",\n\t \"special report\",\n\t \"special reports\",\n\t \"ukraine\"\n\t ],\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Budget\",\n\t \"Congress\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Inside the Agencies\",\n\t \"Oversight\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget - Federal Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/11\\\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Congress\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"congress\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Budget\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/budget\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"budget\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 4,\n\t \"name\": \"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Federal Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget - Federal Times","description":"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget","og_description":"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/","og_site_name":"Federal Times","article_published_time":"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00","author":"Bryant Harris","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bryant Harris","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget","datePublished":"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/"},"wordCount":2671,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg","keywords":["china","europe","special report","special reports","ukraine"],"articleSection":["Budget","Congress","Home","Inside the Agencies","Oversight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/","name":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget - Federal Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-11T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T12:27:16+00:00","description":"The debt ceiling debate could complicate Congress' attempt to pass a defense budget and additional Ukraine emergency spending.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2023\/04\/11\/from-ukraine-to-debt-ceiling-its-a-balancing-act-to-pass-fy24-budget\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/","ad_zone":"congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Budget","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/","ad_zone":"budget"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it\u2019s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","name":"Federal Times","description":"Federal Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization","name":"Federal Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","caption":"Federal Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1246891438.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33309,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33306\/revisions\/33309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33306"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=33306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}