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The Big Story
White House prepares funding request for Israel, Ukraine aid
The White House is preparing a supplemental funding request that would include billions of dollars for Israel, Ukraine and border security.
© AP
Multiple sources familiar with the matter say the administration is expected to send the request to Congress later this week, after President Biden returns from a trip to Israel. A source said details of the package are not final but that the request would cover a full year.
Biden, delivering remarks in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, confirmed he planned to ask Congress “for an unprecedented support package for Israel’s defense.”
Bloomberg first reported that Biden was considering a supplemental request of roughly $100 billion, which would also include aid to nations in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.
The White House has signaled plans to go to Congress to request support for Israel following attacks by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, that killed more than 1,300 people.
Thousands of Palestinians have died in retaliatory Israeli strikes, and there are
broader concerns about a widening conflict and humanitarian crisis in the region.
At the same time, the Biden administration is already seeking additional funding from Congress to support Ukraine in its war effort against invading Russian forces.
The White House previously sent a supplemental funding request in August that included a total of $24 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.
That same request also sought roughly $4 billion total in supplemental funding for border and migration efforts.
The White House has not explicitly said it will seek to tie all of those areas together in one funding request to Congress, though doing so may increase its chances of passage.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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On Our Radar
Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on “The findings of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States” at 9:30 a.m.
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe will discuss “Supporting Israel and Ukraine against terror” at 2 p.m.
In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Intel, defense officials tell senators that Israel did not strike hospital
U.S. intelligence and defense officials told senators at a classified briefing Wednesday that Israel is not responsible for a blast that reportedly killed hundreds of people at a hospital in Gaza, contradicting earlier media reports and claims from Hamas that an Israeli airstrike caused the carnage. …
On Tap Tomorrow
Events in and around the defense world:
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will discuss North Korea-Russia arms cooperation at 9:30 a.m.
A House Homeland subpanel will hold a hearing on “The role of technology in aviation security” at 10 a.m.
The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs will host a conversation on Finland’s future in NATO at 1 p.m.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
Inside Biden’s reversal on sending long-range missiles to Ukraine (The New York Times)
USS Mount Whitney and three-star admiral headed to Mediterranean to aid support of Israel amid military buildup (Military.com)
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