Biden requests $106Bln for arming 'Israel', Ukraine, countering China

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Oct 2023 21:02

The supplementary package allocates $61.4 billion, with half of this amount intended to supply weapons to Kiev and replenish US military inventory.

First lady Jill Biden, right, watches as President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Washington, about the war in Palestine and Ukraine (AP)

The White House Office of Management and Budget has revealed that President Joe Biden is seeking an additional $106 billion in funding from Congress. This funding is intended to offer increased assistance to Ukraine, "Israel", and the Indo-Pacific region and to support operations along the US southern border.

The supplementary package allocates $61.4 billion, with half of this amount intended to supply weapons to Kiev and replenish US military inventory, as stated by the White House.

Additionally, there is $14.3 billion allocated for "Israel", comprising $10.6 billion designated for security assistance, including air and missile defense support, investments in the industrial base, and restocking US weapon supplies, as outlined in the document.

Furthermore, the White House has requested $6.4 billion to finance activities along the US southern border, along with $2 billion for security assistance in the Indo-Pacific region and an additional $2 billion to counter China's financial cooperation with developing nations.

A report by Axios on Thursday detailed that the Pentagon plans to send tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells to "Israel", shells that were originally designated for Ukraine from US emergency stocks.

According to three Israeli officials familiar with the matter, "Israel" requested these shells to prepare for a potential ground invasion in Gaza and to address the possibility of an escalation involving the Lebanese Resistance, Hezbollah, along the Palestine-Lebanon border.

US officials have claimed that diverting these shells to the Israeli regime would not immediately impact Ukraine's ability to fight Russian troops.

However, if the war on Gaza were to escalate into a broader regional conflict, the availability of US military supplies for Ukraine might be affected.

Earlier today, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri described the US' extensive military support to "Israel" as being indicative of the complicity of the United States in Israeli crimes against Palestinians and warned of the impending consequences, particularly in Gaza.