Biden requests $105 billion in emergency funds for Israel, Ukraine and other crises.
The Biden administration formally asked Congress for $105 billion in emergency funding on Friday, including $10.6 billion in military support for Israel and $61.4 billion to continue providing weapons and economic assistance to Ukraine as it battles Russia.
The request also includes about $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.
“These conflicts can seem far away,” Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said in a call with reporters Friday morning. “But the outcome of these fights for democracy against terrorism and tyranny are vital to the safety and security of the American people.”
The fate of the funding request in Congress is likely to be a test of the argument for global engagement that President Biden made to the American people in a speech to the nation Thursday night. In that address, he said that coming to the aid of allies, even when expensive, will “pay dividends for American security for generations.”
But Mr. Biden’s request comes as House Republicans struggle to pick a speaker, leaving Congress unable to act. And it already faces deep skepticism from some members in both parties who have raised doubts about the need for the United States to provide military assistance to either Ukraine or Israel.
Anticipating those criticisms, Mr. Sullivan said the conflicts raging in Europe and the Middle East demonstrate why “we need Congress to urgently pass a budget that meets America’s national security needs and those of our critical partners.”
The funding request included $12 billion for more agents and facilities along the U.S. border with Mexico, and $7.4 billion for security to support Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Administration officials said the $10.6 billion in security aid for Israel will be used primarily to enhance that country’s air and missile defense abilities, such as the Iron Dome system, and to restock American supplies after sending ammunition and equipment to Israel. An additional $3.7 billion will be used to enhance security at the American embassy in Israel, officials said.
Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said some of the administration’s request for $9 billion in humanitarian aid would be used to help the victims of the violence in Israel and Gaza.
“You’ve already seen a commitment from this administration in making sure humanitarian aid gets to those in Gaza,” she said. “That aid will continue robustly as Congress funds more humanitarian aid.”
The administration’s request for Ukraine would be in addition to the $113 billion in assistance that the United States already has provided to that country since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Mr. Sullivan said that the money for Ukraine is necessary to help that country’s military advance on the battlefield even as winter arrives and as Russian forces attempt an offensive.
“We have to send the unmistakable message that in the 21st century, a dictator cannot be allowed to conquer or carve up his neighbor,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters, in reference to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.