Biden considering $100 billion funding request that includes Israel, Ukraine aid: Sources
Biden may consider a supplemental request of about $100 billion that would include defense aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, multiple sources familiar with the request told Reuters on Tuesday.
Biden has been widely expected to ask Congress to pass a supplemental spending bill within days, as Washington responds to the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants while looking to continue to support Ukraine as it grapples with a Russian invasion.
The news broke as Biden prepared to depart for Tel Aviv and Amman to show support for Israel and also to meet leaders of Jordan and Egypt on the Gaza humanitarian crisis
U.S.
Senate leaders had said earlier on Tuesday they expected Biden to send them a request by the end of this week for billions of dollars in assistance for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and for security at the U.S. border.
Two of the sources said the request was for a full year of funding, explaining the large size.
Administration officials have been working on the request for weeks.
Senator Ben Cardin, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had not yet seen a specific figure for the supplemental request, but would not be surprised if it was as large as $100 billion.
«I hope it's enough to get us through 2024,» Cardin told Reuters.
He said he thought it had a good chance of passing the Senate with support from both Biden's fellow Democrats and Republicans. «I think this is our best shot to get it done,» Cardin said.
ISRAEL ASKED FOR $10 BILLION
However, there is uncertainty about the fate of any legislation in Congress, which under U.S.
law controls spending. The Republican-led House of Representatives has been without a speaker and unable to pass legislation since
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