Biden plans to ask Congress for US$100 billion to support Ukraine and Israel

US President Joe Biden is considering an additional request of around US$100 billion, which would include defence assistance for Israel and Ukraine, as well as funding for border security and assistance to countries in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.

Source: Bloomberg referring to sources

Details: The media outlet notes that Biden pledged support for Israel after a deadly attack earlier this month by Hamas, a group which the US and EU have designated as a terrorist organisation. Aid to Israel enjoys broad bipartisan support in the US Congress.

Assistance to Ukraine, however, requires the commitment of Republicans in the House of Representatives. A group of lawmakers who support additional aid to Kyiv advised earlier this month that the administration should propose a joint aid package for Israel and Ukraine, hoping to overcome Republican opposition.

The decision to include border security funding in the package is also aimed at gaining the support of Republicans in Congress, who have long linked additional foreign assistance to addressing the influx of migrants into the United States.

Bloomberg notes that a spokesperson for the US Office of Management and Budget declined to comment.

A source familiar with the administration's efforts to coordinate the request said the details of the package were still being worked out and stressed that the amount would cover the entire fiscal year. The previous White House request, which included US$24 billion for Ukraine, covered only a three-month period.

Any request from the White House, however, will have to wait until House lawmakers elect a new speaker after the ousting of Kevin McCarthy. Any spending measure would first have to be approved by the House of Representatives, which cannot complete any legislative initiative until Republicans unite around a new speaker.

The sheer size and demands of the package are likely to spark resistance in the House, where GOP divisions over spending cuts and foreign aid have played a role in the battle for the speaker's chair.

Representative Jim Jordan, who is the leading candidate to become the next speaker, is sceptical about new aid to Ukraine, and conservatives in the House are demanding that the assistance package to Israel not be tied to further assistance to Kyiv.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he expects the administration to send a request by "the end of this week" and that it will include military, diplomatic, intelligence and humanitarian aid for Israel.

"We’d like to get the supplemental package moved as quickly as possible because the needs are great in both Israel and Ukraine," he said.

Background: According to earlier reports, Joe Biden, President of the US, intends to ask Congress to allocate the largest aid package ever for Ukraine worth up to US$100 billion.

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