Abuja (Sundiata Post) – United States President Joe Biden will ask Congress for a joint $100 billion package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the migration crisis at the US-Mexico border, a source familiar with the talks told AFP Tuesday.
The request, which was first reported on by Bloomberg and which has not yet been made public by the White House, comes as Congress is still paralyzed by the absence of a speaker in the House of Representatives.
The package is intended to bypass congressional chaos and bring Democrats, who have sought additional aid for Kyiv for weeks, together with Republicans, who want funds to tighten controls on the southern border.
On Tuesday, Biden called key allies to reassure them of continued US military aid for Ukraine, even as the White House warned the flow would dry up in months if Republicans in Congress block new funds.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Congress in September in a bit to convince Republicans to keep the aid flowing and help his country ward off Russian invasion.
But the US has also been under pressure to support its historic ally Israel, at war with Hamas. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he will be working to approve an aid package for Israel “hopefully within the next few weeks.”
The package will include military, humanitarian, intelligence, and diplomatic help, he said.
The Senate is also due to consider a resolution condemning Hamas, and to debate the confirmation of a new ambassador to Israel on Wednesday.
Tensions have also risen in recent months over Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that China claims and has not ruled out seizing by force.
The official US position on intervention is one of ambiguity, with the United States — which only recognizes Beijing — focusing on providing weapons to Taiwan for its own self-defense.
Biden has said he would back sending US forces to defend Taiwan.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.
AFP
