Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he hopes the Senate will pass the fiscal 2023 government funding package as early as Wednesday before the Friday shutdown deadline.
"The Senate took the first step to passing this bill last night, voting 75 to 20 to begin to debate," he said, referring to a procedural vote. He added the margin was "a strong signal that both sides are keen to finish funding the government very soon."
"We must finish our work before the deadline of Friday midnight, but, in reality, I hope we can vote on final passage much sooner than that, even as early as tonight," he said Monday.
The House and Senate were preparing for a joint session on Wednesday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The appropriations bill includes $45 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Schumer said they are negotiating possible amendments before bringing it to a vote.
"But again, that's going to require cooperation," he said. "I urge my colleagues not to stand in the way of moving this process forward. Nobody wants a shutdown."
The deadline for the government shutdown is midnight Friday. Lawmakers are pressed to make negotiations for or against additional funding.
The omnibus funding packaging will fund the government and various agencies for 2023.
Republicans in opposition have pressed Congress to put off government spending through early next year. The move would allow them to utilize their House majority and usher in extra influence.
However, many Senate Republicans have already expressed support for the bill to enact sooner, citing concerns over areas such as defense.
The 4,155-page package, made up of 12 annual appropriations bills, includes $772.5 billion in nondefense discretionary spending and $858 billion in defense — a gap on which Republicans seek to capitalize during inflation.
"The world's greatest military will get the funding increases that it needs, outpacing inflation," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the floor. "Meanwhile, nondefense, non-veterans spending all come in below the rate of inflation for a real-dollar cut.
"If Senate Republicans control the chamber, we would have handled the appropriations process entirely differently from top to bottom. But, given the reality of where we stand today, senators have two options this week, just two: Give our armed forces the resources and the certainty that they need or we will deny it to them."
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