US President Joe Biden wants Congress to quickly pass billions of dollars in new aid to both Israel and Ukraine, but the Republican-controlled lower house needs to consider a bill that gives Kiev a headache.
Debate on the funding request begins in earnest after a weeks-long delay as House Republicans try to name a new speaker and it’s unclear what, if anything, can get through both chambers.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress want to immediately authorize military aid for Israel, a longtime US ally in the war with Hamas.
However, things get complicated when it comes to Ukraine.
Washington is the largest military supporter of Kiev, and has invested tens of billions of dollars since Russia invaded in February 2022.
But Biden’s promise of uninterrupted financial support, repeated during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington in September, appears to be in jeopardy.
The $106 billion request in the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold only a slim majority, was challenged when several hardline conservatives called for an immediate end to funding for Ukraine.
The House is just emerging from an unprecedented three-week gridlock, after the previous Republican speaker was ousted by votes from the same hardline group.
The situation is drastically different in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where most Republicans have expressed support for boosting aid to Ukraine.
“The idea that support for the fight against Russian aggression diminishes other security priorities is false,” the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, said recently.
Aware that war fatigue was growing in some US political circles, Biden decided to match his request for aid to Ukraine – more than $61 billion – with that for Israel, about $14 billion.
The 80-year-old Democrat also asked for about $9 billion to respond to international humanitarian crises, including in the Gaza Strip, while trying to win over conservatives with billions of dollars requested for US border security and projects aimed at countering China.
In total, the package amounts to 106 billion dollars.
House Republican leaders, wary of the cost of the president’s request and divided over Ukraine, plan to hold a vote Thursday afternoon on the Israel-only bill.
Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives, suggested that aid to other US allies, including Ukraine, should be discussed later.
We can’t waste time giving Israel the help it needs,” Johnson said at a news conference Thursday morning, without mentioning Gaza.
A staunch conservative who has railed against the growing US national debt, Johnson proposed that the Israel package be offset by redirecting funds for the US federal tax agency that were passed last year as part of Biden’s landmark climate and infrastructure plan.
The White House is unsurprisingly opposed to the plan, which a nonpartisan budget analysis said would actually increase the U.S. debt.
Biden’s staff has already threatened to veto it.
“I requested a security package from Congress that allows us to honor both humanitarian and defense aid,” said Biden on X, formerly Twitter.
“Lasting peace depends on it,” said the American leader, reports CNBC reports.
