Senate passes government funding bill, preventing shutdown and clearing nearly $14 billion in Ukraine aid

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Democrats weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2022.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday night that will keep the government running through September.

President Joe Biden will sign the legislation. On Wednesday, the House passed it.

The funding bill was approved by the Senate.

Congress had to approve the spending bill by Friday. Lapses in funding can cause the government to scale back services and the economy to suffer.

Lawmakers passed a full-year spending bill after keeping the lights on for months through temporary continuing resolutions.

The bill passed Thursday includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, which is in the third week of fighting off a Russian invasion. More than 2 million people have fled the country due to the Russian assault.

The money will be used to deploy military equipment and troops to Europe.

The Senate is giving the Ukrainians billions for food, medicine, shelter, and support for the over two million refugees who have had to leave the country.

The supplemental coronaviruses relief funds were scrapped by the House after a dispute over how to meet Republican demands to offset the spending. The House wants to pass the bill next week, but it may not have enough GOP support in the Senate.

Schumer said Congress must approve more coronaviruses aid in the coming weeks.

You can subscribe to CNBC on the internet.