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LEARN MOREPosted: 10:52 a.m. EDT Oct 20, 2023
The morning after President Joe Biden's prime-time address indicating he would request $100 billion in military and humanitarian aid for the wars in Ukraine and Israel, the White House released a breakdown of his spending request. The spending bill also includes funding for border security at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Of the $100 billion, $61.4 billion would go toward Ukraine, including $30 billion for the new and replenishing military equipment. An additional $16.3 billion would be used for economic, security and operational assistance, and $14.4 billion would go toward providing military, intelligence and other defense support for Ukraine.
The funding request does not specify what kinds of weapons Ukraine would get from the U.S., National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
"The president has the discretion based on circumstances of the conflict, the situation on the ground and consultations with allies to make determinations about whether he will provide weapons systems to Ukraine that we have not previously provided, and there are also constant developments in technology and capacity," Sullivan said. "We have contracted for certain types of weapons systems that have yet to be delivered because they're still in production, and we expect them to be delivered in the coming months."
There is also $481 million set aside to provide assistance for Ukrainians coming to the U.S.
About $14.3 billion will go to assist Israel, including $10.6 billion for air and missile defense support and other equipment. About $3.7 billion will be used for the State Department to provide foreign military financing and embassy support.
There is about $9.15 billion set aside for humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.
Nearly $13.6 billion is proposed relating to immigration and border patrol, including $6.4 billion for border operations, which includes holding facilities and support for eligible arrivals and unaccompanied children.
The White House wants $3.1 billion for additional patrol agents, officers and immigration judge teams. Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young told reporters the funds would provide 1,300 Border Patrol agents, 375 immigration judge team members and 1,600 asylum officers.
The request was sent to House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, who currently is not empowered to bring the bill to the floor. The House is unable to vote on legislation until it elects a speaker.
"It is the president's job and our job to make clear to Congress what the needs are and what happens if this critical funding is not delivered," Young said. "So we're doing our job here by letting Congress know what the critical needs and we expect them to act and act swiftly."
