Biden asks Congress for $61.4 billion in military aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has asked Congress to allocate additional funding, aimed, among other things, at providing military assistance to Israel and Ukraine. About it reported The White House press office published a letter from Office of Management and Budget chief Shalanda Young to House Speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry. The total amount of the request exceeds $106 billion.

“Today, the President is asking Congress for additional funding that strengthens our national security and supports our allies and partners,” the statement said.

Additional assistance to Israel is aimed at ensuring the combat capability of its Iron Dome air defense system and the development of the Iron Beam system, supporting “efforts to secure the release of hostages,” and providing humanitarian assistance to civilians in Israel and Gaza affected by the fighting.

Assistance to Ukraine includes critical equipment and weapons, as well as personnel training, necessary to assist Ukraine in armed conflict. In addition, additional funding will go towards “comprehensive deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region,” which includes providing the necessary resources to US allies.

How notes Reuters, we are talking about an additional allocation of $106 billion in the 2024 financial year. Of these funds, it is proposed to allocate $14.3 billion to support Israel, and $9 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to victims in the region. It is proposed to allocate $61.4 billion to support Ukraine. The proposal also includes $13.6 billion to protect the US southern border to combat illegal migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean and $4 billion to “contain China’s regional efforts in Asia.”

Biden announced plans to send a request to the US Congress “for funding the needs of American national security” on October 19 in a televised address to the nation, in which he spoke, among other things, about the situation in Ukraine and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “Supporting our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine, is a smart investment that will pay dividends for generations,” he said.

Earlier, the White House stated the need to support both Israel and Ukraine. During the briefing, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said the administration would seek additional aid to Kyiv and, if necessary, seek additional funding for Israel.

The situation with the allocation of aid is complicated by the fact that the House of Representatives still cannot elect a speaker, noted “Vedomosti”.