Daily Archives: October 10, 2023

Inter Miami CF defender Sergii Kryvtsov has been called up to the Ukrainian national team for its upcoming 2024 UEFA Euro qualifying matches.

Kryvtsov and Ukraine will first face North Macedonia in epet ARENA in Prague, Czech Republic on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 9 a.m. ET. In the following matchup, the Ukrainian team will visit Malta in the Ta Qali National Stadium in Malta, on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 2:45 p.m. ET.

In the international arena, Kryvtsov represented Ukraine's U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-21 youth sides before debuting for the nations senior side in 2011. Notably, he was a key member of Ukraines U-19 side that clinched the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2009, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each of the teams five matches of the competition. The defender has played a total of 34 times for Ukraines senior side to date, including two UEFA Euro 2020 and seven UEFA Nations League appearances, and recorded an assist in the process. Most recently, Kryvtsov featured for Ukraine this past month for the UEFA Euro qualifying matches, coming on as a second-half substitute in the teams 1-1 draw against England before starting in Ukraines second match against Italy.

At the club level, the 32-year-old center-back has registered 37 appearances across all competitions to date since joining the team in January, recording an assist and a goal. Notably, Kryvtsov was a key member in the teams 2023 Leagues Cup title-winning campaign, starting in all seven matches throughout the competition and recording his first assist for the Club in the semifinals as Inter Miami won its first official trophy.

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Called Up: Sergii Kryvtsov Called Up by Ukraine National Team - Inter Miami CF

In addition to using airstrikes to attack Russian military forces on or near the battlefield, Ukraine has also conducted more than 100 attacks, mostly with an array of drones, inside Russia itself and against Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine has bombed not only numerous military targets, but also the Expo Center exhibition complex and a skyscraper under construction in Moscow, oil facilities in Crimea, and infrastructure in other areas, such as an electric substation. These strikes are now a regular occurrence and, while causing few casualties, have temporarily shut down various airports and otherwise disrupted daily life.

In addition to using airstrikes to attack Russian military forces on or near the battlefield, Ukraine has also conducted more than 100 attacks, mostly with an array of drones, inside Russia itself and against Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine has bombed not only numerous military targets, but also the Expo Center exhibition complex and a skyscraper under construction in Moscow, oil facilities in Crimea, and infrastructure in other areas, such as an electric substation. These strikes are now a regular occurrence and, while causing few casualties, have temporarily shut down various airports and otherwise disrupted daily life.

These attacks hinder Russian warfighting, but Ukrainian leaders probably also seek to have a more strategic impact, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that the strikes show that war is gradually returning to Russia. How might Ukraines air attacks coerce Russia, if at all?

Most studies of the strategic use of air power warn that having a major impact on adversary decision-making through air power alone is difficult. Drawing on the history of strategic bombing in World War II, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, Kosovo, and other campaigns, scholars have concluded that strategic effects are rare. Adversary leaders and publics rally in the face of bombing, at times becoming more supportive of their regimes or, at the very least, finding themselves unable to rebel against powerful governments, and these campaigns can divert air assets from the battlefield.

Yet these and other works also suggest that strategic bombing can have a range of effects, from diverting scarce air defense resources to building up morale in the country carrying out the bombing.

The Russia-Ukraine war differs from many past uses of air power. In this conflict, neither side has true air superiorityboth continue to bomb the other using drones and missiles, among other means. In addition, the strategic air campaign is at best a minor part of the overall struggle. The vast majority of air attacks are part of the clash of conventional forces. Finally, in the case of Ukrainian attacks on Russia, the strikes are at best minor, causing few casualties and only minimal disruptions to daily life, in contrast to the much more massiveand deadlyRussian bombing of Ukraine.

Most of the overall effort to coerce Moscow involves economic pressure and the clash of armies along various fronts in Ukraine. The United States and its European allies have orchestrated extensive financial, import and export, and other sanctions on Russia. Moscow has weathered these sanctions so far, but the pressure continues. Part of the goal is to undermine popular support for Russian President Vladimir Putins regime, putting pressure on it to end the conflict. A separate goal is to increase elite dissatisfaction, which may also put pressure on Putin and could even lead to a coup. In addition, Ukrainian bravery and resourcefulnessbacked by massive U.S. and European aidhas thwarted Russias expansive military goals. Continued resistance and counteroffensives are a form of coercion by denial, essentially sending a message to Moscow that it will not achieve its maximal objectives and that, as a result, continued fighting will achieve little.

Compared with these two coercive prongs, airstrikes deep into Russia are less importantbut they are not irrelevant. One possible effect is that Russians become afraid of the airstrikes and turn against their government. This seems highly unlikely. It is unclear if Ukraine has killed any Russians in these air attacks (though it is possible that Russia is covering up a small death toll), but in any event, the numbers would be small, especially for a big country like Russia.

In addition, the airstrikes are not that frequent and only hit small parts of the country. The vast majority of Russians can go about their daily lives largely unaffected. Perhaps most important, even if they are angry and terrified, it is hard for citizens to rebel against an authoritarian regime, though a rapid change is at least conceivable.

A more realistic goal would be to augment the strategy of military denial by making it clear to ordinary Russians and the Russian elite that they are not winning. Continued Ukrainian airstrikes can interrupt the steady drumbeat of regime propaganda, showing that Ukraines will to fight remains strong. Putin has successfully convincedor forcedordinary Russians to support the war, but they will be less enthusiastic the more apparent it is that they are not winning.

Even more important, these airstrikes, even if limited, can hearten Ukrainian resistance. Coercion is usually dynamic, with both sides trying to convince the other side that it cannot win and thus should make concessions. Ukraines efforts may seem paltry when compared with Russias bombing campaign, which has targeted civilians in Kyiv and other cities, as well as Ukraines power grid, grain shipping facilities in Odesa, and other sites. These attacks regularly kill civilians, sometimes in large numbers, such as the bombing of a theater-turned-shelter in Mariupol that reportedly killed around 300 Ukrainians.

Nevertheless, when punishment is one-sided, it is hard to convince people to stay in the fight. But the demonstrated ability to hurt the other side gives people hope. Shortly after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States conducted a daring bombing raid on Japan itself, known as the Doolittle Raid. Although the operation itself did only limited damage to Japan, and the United States lost most of the aircraft and several of the crew involved, it buoyed American spiritsthe United States was striking back and making its enemy pay.

Finally, airstrikes might force Russia to divert resources to protect its cities and infrastructure, including resources that might be better used on the battlefield. The Doolittle Raid led Japan to station four of its fighter groups in the home islands during 1942 and 1943, a time when it desperately needed air power elsewhere, as well as to increase its overall defensive perimeter, which made its supply lines vulnerable. To the extent that Putin is feeling political heat from Ukrainian attacks, he may feel compelled to have the Russian military increase air defenses around Russian cities and other targets, with less available for the battlefield.

Despite these possible benefits, coercive airstrikes can have several potentially negative effects. First, it is very difficult to send messages about willpower, surrendering, or red lines through the use of military force. Misperceptions, the fog of war, and other biases quickly come into play. Even accidents can be considered part of an overall design. The United States shot down Iran Air flight 655 in 1988, mistaking it for an Iranian military aircraft at a time of a military confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz and killing all 290 passengers aboard. As Iran expert Kenneth Pollack wrote, The Iranian government assumed that the attack had been purposeful as part of a U.S. plan to help Iraq in its war against Iran.

In the Russia-Ukraine context, it is possible that Ukrainian strikes meant to demonstrate resolve or show the Russian elite that Moscow is losing could instead convey a different, and quite unintended, message.

The adversary may even escalate in response. Ukraines attacks on civilians or civilian infrastructure could bolster Putins argument that the Ukrainians are barbaric and that Russias own numerous atrocities are justified. They could also discredit voices calling for peace or restraint and even strengthen domestic support for a regime that can now claim it is acting in self-defense.

They may even lead to more brutality against Ukrainian citizens. In addition to bolstering its air defenses after the Doolittle Raid, Japan carried out brutal reprisals in China, fearing that the nationalist government there posed a more dangerous threat than anticipated because of its sheltering of U.S. air forces. In August, Russia unleashed a barrage of missile and drone attacks, claiming that it was a response to a Ukrainian attack on a Russian tanker.

For Ukraine, the most important risk might be diplomatic. Although some supporters of sanctions and other anti-Russia measures are staunch, many care little about the conflict and would prefer to resume trade with Russia. Being able to use Ukrainian strikes as a false form of moral equivalency may allow some governments to reduce support for Ukraine.

Ukraines coercive airstrikes must be thought of in the broader context. The most important use of air power remains on the battlefield, but the strikes on Russia itself might have a range of benefits, not least to Ukrainian morale. At the same time, Ukraine must carefully balance how such strikes are perceived in Russia and abroad.

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Are Ukraine's Airstrikes Inside Russia Strategically Effective in the ... - Foreign Policy

Hamas vs. Israel, again. Rockets are targeting multiple northern and southern Israeli cities Tuesday, including the capital of Tel Aviv, as the militant group Hamas continues its new assault on Israel that began with a brutal surprise attack across several fronts on Saturday.

At least 1,600 people have died so far from the fighting, which has caused Israel to declare war and call up 360,000 reservists, which the New York Times reports is a record number in such a short period of time (four days of conflict). The death toll includes around 900 in Israel, and almost 700 in Gaza, according to the Associated Press, citing the Israeli military and officials in Gaza.

Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writing Monday on social media. The savage attacks that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis are mindboggling, he said; and those attacks included slaughtering families in their homes, massacring hundreds of young people at an outdoor festival, kidnapping scores of women, children and elderly, even Holocaust survivors.

We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israels other enemies for decades to come, Netanyahu vowed. Already, the scale of violence rivals Israels war with Egypt and Syria 50 years ago. Reuters reports the Israeli air force is carrying out its fiercest attacks on the Gaza Strip in its 75-year conflict with the Palestinians, razing whole districts to dust despite a threat from Hamas militants to execute a captive for each home hit.

What does Hamas want? Palestinian statehood and an end to Israeli occupation, for starters. According to AP, reporting Monday from Jerusalem, Desperation has grown among Palestinians, many of whom see nothing to lose under unending Israeli control and increasing settler depredations in the West Bank, the blockade in Gaza and what they see as the worlds apathy.

Meanwhile, Israel is run by its most hard-right government ever, dominated by ministers who adamantly reject Palestinian statehood, AP writes. So its far from clear when the current fighting could come to an end.

The view from Washington: Hamas is a terrorist group. Full stop, said a White House official in a phone call with reporters on Saturday, and promised, we will treat Hamas for what they are. They are an international terrorist organization.

The Israelis have described this as their September 11th, a Pentagon official told reporters Monday. This is ISIS-level savagery that we have seen committed against Israeli civilianshouses burned to the ground, young people massacred at music festivals, the official said.

Thats partly why the Pentagon ordered its USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean shortly after the attacks began. That group includes the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy; and four Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyersUSS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt.

The U.S. military also augmented F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a statement Sunday, and added, The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required.

The Pentagon is already sending additional military aid to Israel, John Kirby of the National Security Council said Monday evening. We fully expect that there will be additional requests for security assistance from Israel as they continue to expend munitions in this fight, he said. And we will stay in lockstep with them, making sure that were filling their needs as best we can and as fast as we can.

Developing: Hamas officials claim Iran helped plan the attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal, reporting Sunday from Dubai. However, White House and Pentagon officials said publicly afterward that they have not yet seen any evidence to support that claim, though officials are watching closely for any signs. After all, Kirby said Monday evening, Iran has been supporting Hamas for many, many yearstools, training, capabilitiescertainly rhetorically but in much more tangible ways than that. So, absolutely, theres a degree of complicity here writ large.

At least 11 Americans have been killed in the attacks by Hamas militants; others may be held hostage. (The New York Times is keeping tabs on foreigners who are believed to have perished or remain unaccounted for so far, here.) President Joe Biden said Monday that hes directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.

In this moment of heartbreak, the American people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis, said Biden. We remember the pain of being attacked by terrorists at home, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have once more claimed innocent American lives.

Biden also joined his French, German, Italian, and British counterparts condemning Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism, according to a joint statement released Monday. There is never any justification for terrorism, they said, and threw their support behind Israel, warning, this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.

All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike, the five leaders added. But make no mistake, they said; Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.

Looking ahead, if the U.S. wants to help Israel and Ukraine simultaneously in their times of need, We need additional support from Congress, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told reporters at the AUSA annual conference in Washington on Monday. Wormuth has been spending the last several months trying to shake out whatever additional munitions she can from the U.S. defense industrial base to help satisfy Ukraines artillery needs.

The Army will need additional funding from Congress, to be able to increase our capacityto expand production and then to also pay for the munitions themselves, she said Monday.

A Pentagon official concurred on Monday, telling reporters, This is a clarifying moment in which we would welcome working in a bipartisan manner with Congress and the executive branch to ensure that we're sending a signal to allies and partners across the world that our government, both parties and both branches of our government, are working together to ensure that the appropriate authority and appropriations are available to support and respond to crises and contingencies.

A snapshot from the Association of the U.S. Armys annual meeting: As the war raged in the Middle East, the annual AUSA show went on in Washingtonbut several of the display booths at Israels capacious pavilion on the show floor sat deserted, Defense One staff reported Monday. Instead, a candle burned on a counter and sales representatives wore black swatches behind their U.S.-Israel flag pins. Israel Aerospace Industries canceled a planned press event.

We have a bit more from AUSA below the fold

Welcome to this Tuesday edition of The D Brief, brought to you by Ben Watson with Bradley Peniston. If youre not already subscribed, you can sign up here. On this day in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy opened in Annapolis, Maryland, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors. The curriculum included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.

Pentagon chief Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Charles Brown are traveling to Brussels for Wednesdays in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is the 16th group meeting to date. While in Brussels, Secretary Austin will also join a NATO Defense Ministerial scheduled for Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The rainy season has begun in Ukraine, though conditions vary across the vast front lines, according to the latest assessment from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, writing Monday evening. Otherwise, Ukrainian forces continue to advance incrementally in several locations around western Zaporizhzhia and to the east, while the deteriorating weather is making drone operations more challenging. Reuters has a bit more on recent alleged Ukrainian gains, here.

Its a big week for Pentagon officials in public, due partly to the AUSA conference in downtown D.C. But its also a busy week for several other organizations hosting events this week, too, including the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Atlantic Council.

Army chief Gen. Randy George is set to speak Tuesday at the AUSA conference; thats slated for 12:30 p.m. ET. NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM commanders are expected to speak as well at AUSA on Tuesday. Check out an online interactive schedule for AUSA, here.

Indo-Pacific Command's Intelligence Director Rear Admiral Thomas Henderschedt headlines the event hosted by INSA. Hell be speaking with INSA President Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg at 2 p.m. ET. Details here.

Space Force Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Gagnon is visiting CSIS for a 3 p.m. ET event entitled, Implementing Competitive Endurance: Space Intelligence. Details and livestream, here.

And Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is visiting the Atlantic Council to unpack Air and Space Force modernization at about 3:30 p.m. ET. Details and livestream, here.

News out of AUSA:

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to Defense One for more coverage out of AUSA.

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Today's D Brief: Hamas-Israel war; US reaction; Rain arrives in ... - Defense One

The U.S. Capitol, pictured on Thursday. Congress has a lot to do, but House business is stalled without a leader. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The U.S. Capitol, pictured on Thursday. Congress has a lot to do, but House business is stalled without a leader.

A revolt by a small group of hard-line Republicans has left the House without an elected speaker and, as a result, unable to do legislative business.

It spent much of last week on recess, and isn't expected to reconvene to vote on a new speaker until midweek at the earliest. It's not clear how long that process will take.

And if Republicans elect a far-right speaker, their odds of cooperating with House Democrats let alone the Democratic-controlled Senate are likely to be slim.

The delay doesn't just mean the House can't act on the items on its lengthy to-do list it also can't add new ones.

For example: The Biden administration said over the weekend that it's examining whether the chaos in the House could have an impact on any additional funding needed to help Israel, after a surprise attack by Hamas.

It's all set against the backdrop of a clock ticking down to a potential government shutdown. As it stands, Congress has 39 days to pass the 12 appropriations bills needed to keep the federal government open long-term. If it does not, the ensuing disruptions would affect millions of Americans.

The speakership saga is yet another example of how decisions at the highest levels of government have direct effects on peoples' lives, historian Heather Cox Richardson told Morning Edition.

"Sometimes you get frustrated listening to people scream at each other, but what they're screaming about is your life and what things you are allowed to do in your life," she said. "And it's a really important thing to pay attention to."

Here are some of the other things that hang in the balance, from Ukraine aid and defense spending to global health efforts and pandemic relief.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) walks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during a trip to Washington last month. Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) walks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during a trip to Washington last month.

Funding for Ukraine's war is on the line and incredibly divisive.

President Biden asked Congress to authorize $24 billion for fresh military, humanitarian and economic aid for Ukraine through the end of the calendar year.

That would help its embattled military continue its slow-moving offensive against Russian troops in the east and south, and bolster the air defenses needed to limit the rolling blackouts they faced last winter.

The Pentagon has warned U.S. lawmakers that military aid for Ukraine is rapidly running out, NPR has reported. It's particularly concerned about the need to replenish air defense systems and provide additional artillery, including 155 mm shells.

Most Democrats and Senate Republicans agree on the practical and strategic importance of helping Ukraine defend itself from Russia. But more than $112 billion and a year-and-a-half into the war, many Republicans believe such support should come to an end.

House Republicans are split on the issue.

Last week, McCarthy, before he was ousted after hard-line Republicans turned on him for cooperating with Democrats, moved ahead with a short-term government spending bill that did not include aid for Ukraine.

Democrats are seeking to authorize aid through a standalone bill, and had hoped McCarthy would be willing to move it forward. Now that he's out, the path ahead is unclear.

The two candidates who have announced their speakership bids so far have differing views on Ukraine aid: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is against it while House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., has voted for it.

Biden says he plans to deliver a major address soon to try to persuade the American public why support for Ukraine is in the national interest.

Girls hold U.S. and Kenyan flags while waiting for the arrival of a U.S. ambassador at a site supported by PEPFAR in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2018. Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

Girls hold U.S. and Kenyan flags while waiting for the arrival of a U.S. ambassador at a site supported by PEPFAR in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2018.

PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is considered one of the most successful aid programs in U.S. history.

It's funded antiretroviral treatment for more than 20 million people across more than 50 countries since it was launched by President George W. Bush in 2003.

And it's enjoyed consistently strong bipartisan support, having been reauthorized several times over three presidential administrations.

Congress missed its Sept. 30 deadline to reauthorize it for another five-year term leaving the program intact but letting some of the requirements on its funding lapse.

"In the short term, PEPFAR will be able to continue providing the lifesaving prevention, care, and treatment services in partnership with PEPFAR-supportive countries," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this week, adding that Congress' failure to reauthorize it sends a message to the world that "we are backing down from our leadership in ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat."

The popular program has recently taken a partisan turn, after Republican lawmakers accused it of promoting abortions abroad.

Those complaints center on the Biden administration's rescinding of the "Mexico City Policy," which prohibited U.S. foreign aid from going to organizations that use their own money to provide abortions, referrals and related information. (Democratic presidential administrations typically rescind the rule while Republican ones enforce it.)

U.S. law has long prohibited foreign aid money from being used for abortions. And supporters of PEPFAR say there are only so many groups it can partner with on the ground and that ending those partnerships would make it less effective.

Jen Kates of the nonprofit organization KFF told NPR that while the program's broad popularity makes it unlikely to see funding cuts, the fact that it's been caught up in abortion politics is troubling.

"It sends a potentially sad message to America and to the world that we can't move forward with things that really work and that really are about saving lives," she said.

The House and Senate have each passed their own versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, and will need to reconcile them before the end of the year. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The House and Senate have each passed their own versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, and will need to reconcile them before the end of the year.

The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual piece of legislation that lawmakers call a "must-pass" bill. It addresses the policies and administrative organization of the Department of Defense, and provides guidance on how military funding can be spent.

"The NDAA can be thought of as the Department of Defense's (DoD) grocery list," writes the Center for Junior Officers. "It details every program or activity that should be continued, eliminated, or created. It even has proposals for how much should be spent."

Because it comes up annually, the NDAA has become a popular tool for lawmakers to tack on unrelated legislation. And some of those amendments are making its path through Congress considerably more difficult this year.

The House narrowly passed its bill mostly along party lines in July, breaking a 60-year precedent of passing with broad bipartisan support.

Hard-line House Republicans threatened to block a vote on the measure unless McCarthy agreed to their amendments on a range of policies. It eventually passed with new stipulations including measures eliminating the Pentagon's offices of diversity, equity and inclusion and prohibiting it from reimbursing travel expenses related to abortion care for service members.

"Extreme MAGA Republicans have hijacked a bipartisan bill that is essential to our national security and taken it over and weaponized it in order to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at the time.

The Senate version, which passed later that month with much less drama, looks pretty different. Provisions include a 5.2% pay increase for military personnel and $300 million for Ukraine.

Now Congress has to reconcile the competing versions to pass an overall package it typically aims to do so by the end of the fiscal year.

The final version needs to be able to pass the Senate with 60 votes and head to Biden's desk by the end of the calendar year.

The far-right Republicans who pushed for these controversial amendments are the same ones who pushed out McCarthy. It's not clear how his successor, whoever it is, will find a path forward.

If the NDAA doesn't pass before the end of 2023, lawmakers would need to bring it up again from scratch and go through the entire process again next year.

Staff and toddlers play at a daycare in Williamson, W.Va., in September. Leah Willingham/AP hide caption

Staff and toddlers play at a daycare in Williamson, W.Va., in September.

Congress authorized trillions of dollars in pandemic relief in 2020 and 2021 to help households and industries struggling with the economic fallout.

Some of those programs have long expired like the expanded child tax credit and direct stimulus checks. But Congress could have chosen to extend others.

Several pandemic-era benefits expired on Sept. 30, at the end of the fiscal year. Among them is emergency funding for childcare providers, which allowed many workers and parents to stay afloat financially.

Without further congressional action, some 70,000 childcare programs are projected to close leaving 3.2 million children without care, according to a study by the progressive Century Foundation. It warns of the ripple effects that will have for working parents, businesses and state economies.

Supplemental pay for federal firefighters is also at stake. Congress gave federal first responders a temporary bump of $20,000 or 50%, whichever was less, retroactive to October 2021 and lasting for two years.

The hope was always that Congress would pass a permanent pay fix. While there have been bipartisan efforts in the Senate, the House has not similarly made progress.

Congress has until Nov. 17 to avoid a government shutdown. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Congress has until Nov. 17 to avoid a government shutdown.

Congress hasn't passed any of the 12 appropriations bills it's supposed to enact by the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.

That in itself isn't unusual. It's only passed all of the required bills on time four times, most recently in 1997, according to Pew Research Center.

Congress can buy itself time by passing continuing resolutions, which extend funding for existing programs for a designated amount of time from the previous fiscal year.

The Senate had advanced all 12 of its appropriations bills by late July, the first time it had done so in five years, though has not passed any. The House has passed four.

With a government shutdown once again looming, and a to-do list growing, more than a dozen Republican senators wrote a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asking him to keep the Senate in session until it can pass all 12 bills.

The Senate was previously scheduled to be away on recess this coming week for members to do work in their home states.

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5 policy issues the leaderless House faces, from Ukraine to NDAA to ... - NPR