Biden Pitches Americans on Funding Wars in Gaza and Ukraine

The president is expected to ask Congress for $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and border funding

President Biden on Thursday night delivered a speech from the Oval Office making his case for the US continuing to fund the proxy war in Ukraine and Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.

Biden said he will ask Congress on Friday to authorize more spending for the Ukraine war and “unprecedented” military aid for Israel. Media reports say the request will be for about $100 billion and will also include aid for Taiwan, which China will view as highly provocative, and funding for border security.

About $60 billion is expected to be for Ukraine as the White House wants to pass a spending package on the war that will last through the 2024 election. Israel is set to receive about $10 billion in military aid, and the rest will go toward the border, Taiwan, and potentially other areas in the Asia Pacific.

In his speech, President Biden attempted to draw comparisons between Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy, completely annihilate it,” he said.

The president claimed it was America’s duty to get involved in these foreign wars and that it would keep Americans safe even though the proxy war in Ukraine makes nuclear war much more likely, and US support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is stirring up anti-American sentiment around the world.

“American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us in America safe. American values are what make us a partner nation you want to work with. To put all that at risk – we walk away from Ukraine, we turn our backs on Israel – it’s just not worth it. That’s why tomorrow I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs – needs to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine,” Biden said.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.