Media: Biden expected to ask Congress for $100 bn package including aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan
The Biden administration may request $100 billion in supplemental yearlong funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and domestic matters like border funding, according to anonymous sources cited by Politico and Reuters. The post Media: Biden expected to ask Congress for $100 bn package including aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan appeared first on Euromaidan Press.
On 17 October, Politico reported that the Biden administration is expected to ask Congress for at least $100 billion in supplemental funding to address Israel, Ukraine, and domestic issues such as border funding and disaster aid, based on anonymous insiders. Later, Reuters cited multiple sources stating that US President Joe Biden might consider such a request for defense aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
Reuters says the news broke as President Biden readied to leave for Tel Aviv and Amman to express solidarity with Israel following the deadly attacks by Hamas militants on 7 October, and to meet with Jordanian and Egyptian leaders to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
After President Joe Biden returns from his trip to Israel, the request is anticipated to be forwarded to Congress Hill as early as 20 October, Politico notes.
The funding levels, intended to span an entire year, have not been finalized and may vary, as several involved individuals told Politico. The request for a full-year funding explains its large size, according to two of the Reuters sources.
Earlier, some US senators supporting Ukraine, from both sides of the aisle, advocated a yearlong aid proposal for Ukraine as the best way to overcome Congress upheaval.
While there’s a widespread consensus regarding aid to Israel, there’s a degree of skepticism, particularly among some House Republicans, concerning merging aid for Israel with Ukraine. Despite the complications in the House due to the absence of a speaker, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed support for the aid package, underlining its comprehensive nature, as reported by Politico.
“This is all interconnected,” McConnell said. “You’ve got the North Koreans, the Iranians, the Russians and the Chinese, sort of, on the same side against the democratic world, so there is a connection between all of this. I am not surprised, frankly, that the administration seems to be inclined to send up a broad package.”
Nonetheless, uncertainty surrounds the fate of any congressional legislation, given that the US Congress controls spending. Since Kevin McCarthy’s removal on 3 October as the House Speaker, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives has been leaderless and unable to pass any legislation.
In mid-September, a Pentagon spokesperson warned that US military aid and training for Ukrainian forces could be disrupted in the event of a looming US government shutdown.
On 30 September, Congress adopted a bill to prevent a federal government shutdown, leaving the approval of aid to Ukraine out of the deal. US lawmakers had to wrangle on a separate bill on $24 billion in military assistance to Ukraine that Biden wanted in the budget.
Biden admitted he was worried that political turmoil in Washington could threaten US aid to Ukraine, urging Republicans to stop their infighting and back “critically important” assistance for Kyiv.
Read also:
- US to allocate nearly $700 mn for Ukraine’s transport, logistic modernization
- Biden says US can support both Israel and Ukraine: “We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation”
- US rolls out new USD 200 million Ukraine military aid package
- WSJ: Some US senators say yearlong Ukraine aid package best way to overcome Congress upheaval
- Biden “worried” that turmoil in Congress could disrupt US aid to Ukraine
- Biden urges US Congress to approve Ukraine aid left out of govt shutdown prevention deal
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.
We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society.
A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support.
The post Media: Biden expected to ask Congress for $100 bn package including aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan appeared first on Euromaidan Press.
