The potential shutdown of US government agencies due to the shutdown will negatively affect the training of Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel who master the F-16 fighter jets.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh informed about this at a briefing.
According to her, the shutdown is the worst scenario that can happen to the Ministry of Defense. She explained that in the event of a shutdown, civilian employees involved in pilot training are forced to go on unpaid leave.
"We hope that Congress can work and find a bipartisan, bicameral way to avoid a government shutdown. But we are still working out more details about the impact on the programs,” she noted.
The day before, on September 25, the spokesman of the US State Department Matthew Miller said that the shutdown in general could affect the pace of aid to Ukraine.
- On September 28, the Pentagon reported that Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel for the maintenance of fighter jets began language training at an air base in Texas in order to master the F-16. After completing the courses, training on the F-16 will begin. It will take place at Morris Air Force Base of the US National Guard in Arizona.
- In the USA, since the end of the 19th century, there has been a law that prohibits the work of federal authorities if they do not have funding. A shutdown, or "closure," occurs when Congress fails to approve, and the president fails to sign, a yearʼs worth of federal funding. The White House and Congress still cannot agree on a budget. There are two days left before the shutdown — it may come on October 1.