The White House appears to be taking a strategic approach to navigating military support for Ukraine and Israel through Congress. One idea that is currently being considered would be to bundle financial aid for both countries in a joint application, such as “Ukrainian Pravdaciting The Washington Post reported. However, according to information from two US officials who wished to remain anonymous, this decision has not yet been finalized.
Strategic move in financing
One motivation behind this possible move, as one of the officials explained, could be to neutralize the “far right,” which opposes increasing support for Ukraine but favors increasing funding for Israel. In this way, opposing voices could potentially be circumvented or at least reduced. Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s administration is telling senior members of the House and Senate that a request for additional military aid to Israel could soon be made, particularly after Hamas militants invaded the country on October 7. It is expected that this application may be made as early as next week.
Resistance to bundled financial plan
However, the idea of combining financial support for Ukraine and Israel is not without obstacles. Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, for example, does not seem to be inclined to the concept of a common financing package. Despite the fact that House Republicans have enough votes to pass a stand-alone aid package for Israel, which could in turn put pressure on Senate Democrats to approve it unconditionally, the House’s ability to approve a foreign aid package remains pending Choice of speaker unclear.
Looking at possible sums and decisions
On October 9, the Pentagon announced that the US Congress should approve additional funding to ensure necessary military support for both Israel and Ukraine. Pro-Ukrainian U.S. senators from both parties are pushing for the rapid passage of an annual aid package for Ukraine worth between $50 billion and $100 billion, according to Ukrainska Pravda reporting. This would mean that the USA would support both Israel and Ukraine in military matters if the financial resources were approved.
