Many lawmakers left Washington on Wednesday evening after funding the government through Dec. 20, but a bipartisan group of senators is due to meet Thursday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Capitol Hill.
The session will include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Zelenskyy will meet with other top officials separately, like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Foreign Affairs ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.).
The timing is delicate for Zelenskyy, as he faces GOP criticism over comments in which he called Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) “too extreme” and investigations of a Pennsylvania weapons factory visit.
Zelenskyy is trying to shore up support and sell Washington on his strategy for victory in the conflict with Russia. For now, many lawmakers say the Ukrainian leader seems to have what he needs to keep up the fight. “Right now, he said he has what he needs,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who met with Zelenskyy earlier in the week.
Senate floor recap: Schumer announced the next Senate vote would be Nov. 12 — and moved to end debate on two more judicial nominees. (Two judges for federal tax courts were confirmed by voice vote.)
In addition, senators cleared a bill renaming a federal building in San Francisco after the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
