Biden Pushes for 135 Trillion Won Support to Israel, Ukraine, and Others

Budget Proposal Submission to This Week's Assembly

U.S. President Joe Biden is considering requesting a budget of $100 billion (approximately 135.5 trillion KRW) from Congress to provide security support for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

On the 17th (local time), major foreign media including Bloomberg cited multiple sources reporting that President Biden is expected to submit the budget proposal to Congress within this week.

The news of the submission of this support bill came just before President Biden’s solidarity visit to Israel, which launched a retaliatory war following a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. President Biden is scheduled to make a sudden visit to Israel on the 18th to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the wartime cabinet.

President Joe Biden of the United States.
Photo by AP Yonhap News

Although the House leadership remains vacant following the dismissal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the 3rd, considering the urgency of the Israel situation, there is a high possibility that President Biden will request the budget within this week and urge prompt approval. Officials explained that this budget proposal covers the entire year.

Israel is reported to have requested an additional $10 billion in support from the U.S. in response to Hamas’s attack. As a long-time ally, Israel receives $3.8 billion annually in military aid from the U.S. government.

Congress has approved a total budget of $113 billion so far to support Ukraine since the Russian invasion. However, opinions within the Republican Party are divided regarding additional aid to Ukraine.

For this reason, the Biden administration is largely considering a package approach that includes the Israel support budget, which receives bipartisan support, along with the controversial Ukraine budget.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a briefing on the same day, "We will do everything possible to ensure that these budget packages, including support for Israel, are passed," adding, "I expect the budget proposal to be submitted within this week."

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he understands that the budget will include funds for Ukraine and Taiwan, and added that he expects a significant portion to be allocated for border issues as well.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration plans to hold a closed-door briefing in the Senate regarding the Israel situation on the same day. Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who was recently indicted on charges of acting as an agent for the Egyptian government, was excluded from the briefing. Senator Menendez has denied all charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.