IRIA News

U.S. President Joe Biden has drafted an unprecedented $100 billion foreign aid package that includes military assistance for Ukraine and Israel. White House has sent the request to the U.S. Congress seeking approval for the aid package.

After several reports from independent sources, Biden announced the aid package during his rare Oval Office speech that came soon after he returned from Israel. During his speech, Biden called the package “an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge.”

The aid of $14.3 billion is expected to be sent to Israel from the latest package, and $9.15 billion would be allocated to unspecified humanitarian assistance in both countries as well as the Gaza Strip Palestinian territory.

Another large share of the funding would be used to provide weapons to Taiwan. Taipei has frequently complained about a roughly $19 billion arms sales backlog in weapons it has purchased from the U.S.

President Biden is sending an urgent budget request to Congress to fund America’s national security needs, support our allies and partners, and strengthen our border security.

This investment will strengthen U.S. security for generations and help us build a more peaceful world. pic.twitter.com/4goFVBRRAp

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 20, 2023

Budget director of the Biden administration, Shalanda Young, urged the House to “act swiftly” on the request as she and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, laid out details of the supplemental funding request.

“Our job is to make clear to Congress what the needs are, and what happens if critical funding is not delivered,” Young said. “So, we’re doing our job here by letting Congress know what the critical needs are, and we expect them to act and act swiftly,” she added.

Sullivan said the money was needed urgently in several areas. “We are requesting an increase in security assistance for Israel to help it protect its people, as well as the many Americans who live in Israel and travel to Israel. At the same time, we are also requesting support to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance for civilians impacted by the war in Gaza.”

Additional aid for Ukraine

The details about the funding of the foreign aid package are still unclear, however, it is expected that the largest share of the package would consist of military aid for Ukraine. Congress has already approved $113 billion in security, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine since Russian troops poured into its territory in February 2022.

Biden administration is considering expanding military assistance for Kyiv in the coming month, as Ukraine pushes its counteroffensive against Russia.

According to some reports, $61.4 billion of foreign aid would be allocated to Ukraine under the package. The money would be used for the replenishment of U.S. weapons stocks that have been sent to Ukrainian forces as well as for the development and production of new weapons to be sent to Ukraine.

Israel asked for $10 billion

Following the October 7 attacks and response that followed, Israel has been looking towards Washington for military and political support. Israeli forces have already received billions of dollars worth of military aid in two weeks, in addition to the $3.8 billion military aid that it receives from the U.S. every year.

Some sources suggest that Tel Aviv asked for $10 billion from the U.S. during Biden’s trip. The money would be used to deal with the ongoing crisis.

Difficulties in approval

Although the request has been drafted and submitted to Congress, the House cannot pass any legislation without a new speaker. Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy was voted out of his office earlier this month after an infighting within his own party. McCarthy became the first U.S. House Speaker to be removed through voting.

The request would also have to overcome other challenges as the political turmoil in the U.S. became more evident after last week when protests against U.S. support for Israel in Capitol Hill as well as State Department and U.S. embassies in the Middle East. 

The internal dynamic of U.S. politics and the emerging migration crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border has become a major debate among the House representatives. Several representatives have been asking the Biden administration to pay more attention to the border-related issues in the south and to spend more in order to increase the security on the border and to put an end to the illegal migration that has seen an unprecedented rise in recent times.

The Biden administration itself has been facing severe economic challenges as it ran out of funds to run governmental affairs. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill needed to avoid a government shutdown earlier this month.