The Biden administration on Friday submitted a $106bn request to Congress for military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian assistance for Gaza, insisting lawmakers had an obligation to support US allies standing up to tyranny and aggression worldwide.
White House officials spelled out the urgency of the request at a morning press briefing, reinforcing Joe Biden’s assertion in a televised address to the nation on Thursday night from the Oval Office that there were links between the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the deadly attacks on Israel by Hamas on 7 October.
Early approval of the money, however, is highly unlikely amid ongoing paralysis in the House of Representatives. The lower chamber of the US Congress remained without a speaker on Friday morning because of further infighting among the Republican majority – and it cannot conduct business until the crisis is resolved.
Shalanda Young, the Biden administration’s budget director, urged politicians to “act swiftly” on Friday as she and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, laid out details of the supplemental funding request, which includes $61.4bn for Ukraine, incorporating replenishment of US weapons stocks, $14.3bn for Israel and $9.15bn for unspecified humanitarian assistance in both countries and the blockaded Gaza Strip Palestinian territory.
Most of the remainder of the money would be allocated for “security assistance” in the Indo-Pacific region, and strengthening the US-Mexico border with 1,300 additional border patrol agents and other resources, the administration said.
“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.”
In his address on Thursday night, Biden painted the US as “a beacon to the world” as he attempted to convince skeptical voters and critical Republicans of the need to pass the budget request.
“History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” he said.
“They keep going and the costs and the threats to America and the world keep rising.”
Sullivan said attacks on Israel by Hamas, and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, came amid “a global inflection point”.
He told reporters: “As President Biden said, these conflicts can seem far away, but the outcome of these fights for democracy against terrorism and tyranny are vital to the safety and security of the American people.
“The funding and authorities the Congress previously approved overwhelmingly has nearly run out. We need congressional action to ensure that we can continue to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs and protect its people while they’re under attack.”
Some Republicans have become increasingly hostile in recent months to continuing White House requests for Ukraine funding, and will probably provide significant pushback even after a new speaker is in place.
Regarding the Israel conflict, Sullivan said money was needed urgently in several areas.
“The administration is requesting funding to invest in Israel’s defense against terrorists, including by strengthening its air and missile defense system,” he said.
“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.”
A fact sheet accompanying the request said the US will help fortify Israel’s Iron Dome missile blocking system and David’s Sling air and missile defense systems, which have so far proved effective in repelling rocket attacks by Hamas.
The allocation for extra security at the US-Mexico border, meanwhile, represents a significant ramping up and a harder edge to the administration’s immigration policies.
As well as funding additional border agents, the request seeks to pay for thousands more law enforcement officers to help prevent cartels moving illegal fentanyl into the US, and more asylum officers and immigration judge teams to expedite the processing of migrants’ applications for asylum.
Young chided Republicans who have accused Biden of being weak on immigration, while rejecting the president’s previous financial requests.
“Some in Congress have said a lot about doing something on border security while refusing to take up the $4bn request we sent in August,” she said.
“We will not be lectured by those who refuse to act. Congress needs to take action to provide additional resources for the border. The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities.”
