Government shutdown may affect U.S. aid supplies to Ukraine - State Dept

In the event of a government shutdown in the United States from October 1, deliveries of security and defense aid to other countries, including Ukraine, may become complicated.

That’s according to the State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who spoke at a briefing in Washington on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"That is a legal question that pertains to who is allowed to work during a shutdown and who isn’t allowed to work," said the spokesman.

He specified that in the event of a suspension of budgetary funding of government institutions, the United States could theoretically continue to allocate security assistance.

“But when you have a number of people who aren’t allowed to come to work that could affect the pace of any deliveries. That's why we think a shutdown would be so concerning, and why we urge Congress to fund the government," Miller said.

As reported, the government shutdown in the U.S. comes at the moment when the budget legislation for the current time period expires. The current fiscal year ends on September 30, and if Congress fails to pass appropriate budget legislation for the next fiscal year, the country will see a shutdown starting October 1. At the same time, in order to avoid the shutdown, Congress can pass a resolution to temporarily extend funding in the amounts provided for in the previous budget.