Hello from CNN. I'm Chris Debeau with Five Things You Need to

Know for Thursday, September 21st. Ukraine's president, Vladimir

Zilinski met with lawmakers in Washington this morning. And depending on how you look at it,

his visit to seek more aid for Ukraine's

counter-offensive against Russia

could have either come at the worst or the most perfect time.

That's because the House is still in crisis mode trying to come up with a

spending deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month and one of their

big sticking points is how much funding the U.S. should be giving to Ukraine.

Right now, some House Republicans are framing the question of aid

as a choice between helping Americans or helping Ukraine,

while others see it as a check on Russian aggression.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the meeting with

Selensky productive but wouldn't commit to putting Ukraine aid on the floor for a vote.

And a CNN poll from last month found that a majority of Americans are now against

authorizing more funding for Ukraine. But whatever Congress decides, Selensky

won't be going home empty-handed because the White House is expected to announce a new aid package for Ukraine when he sits down with President Joe Biden this afternoon.

The Biden administration is sending some 800 active duty troops to the southern border, as officials say migrant crossings are rising.

Communities across the country are dealing with strained resources and overwhelmed facilities as a result.

From towns as small as Eagle Pass, Texas to cities as big as New York.

Federal officials are still trying to figure out what's behind the latest surge, but say economic

issues, disinformation from smugglers, and the climate crisis are driving migration to the US overall.

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