The Biden administration has pledged its support for Israel following the Hamas terrorist attack earlier this month, but the allocation of funds to America’s closest ally in the Middle East might come with some strings attached.
According to recent reports, President Joe Biden is requesting a total of $100 billion from Congress, which includes additional funding for Ukraine as well as support for Taiwan in addition to defense assistance earmarked for Israel.
As fatigue sets in among many Republican lawmakers over the massive amount of U.S. money and military equipment sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion last year, those who want to see even more resources sent to Kyiv have opted to combine that assistance with Israeli aid in an effort to convince GOP critics to support the package.
Biden wants $100 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel. I will vote NO.
Biden wants to bring in millions of Palestinian refugees. I will vote NO.
Biden refuses to secure America’s border and lets in millions and we are $33 trillion in debt.
Biden is America last!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 17, 2023
Last month, more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden administration demanding greater accountability for the distribution of government largesse to Ukraine.
“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to,” the letter asserts. “How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?”
In addition to the growing reticence toward increased Ukrainian aid, the Biden administration’s request for funding also faces a more logistical roadblock. The House of Representatives remains without a speaker as of this writing, with Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who has since dropped out of the race, and Jim Jordan (R-OH) failing to receive enough support from their own party to replace Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) following his ouster earlier this month.
The House controls spending measures and will not be able to take up such matters until a new speaker is installed.
A second round of voting was scheduled for Wednesday evening after 20 Republicans voted against Jordan the previous day. He ended up 17 votes shy of a majority in the narrowly divided chamber.
Ahead of the second vote, a number of those GOP lawmakers who voted against him on Tuesday signaled that they were still opposed.
