As he argued for billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine and Israel, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States used the phrase “an inflection point” to describe the current moment in world history.
During a speech he gave at the White House, he stated that Hamas and Russia had a common goal of “annihilating a neighboring democracy.”
Mr. Biden has stated that he will present an urgent financing request to Congress on Friday, and the amount is anticipated to be $105 billion (£87 billion).
However, the House of Representatives does not currently have a leader and hence cannot authorize any spending.
On Thursday evening, Mr. Biden delivered only his second address to the country from the Oval Office, and it was one of the few times that it occurred during primetime.
It happened just one day after his hurried journey to Israel in response to the bombings carried out by Hamas on October 7th.
Mr. Biden stated that the appeal for emergency assistance will “pay dividends for the security of the United States for generations.”
During his 15-minute speech, he condemned any acts of bigotry against Jews or Muslims in the United States. Specifically, he criticized the tragic stabbing that occurred last week in Chicago involving a Palestinian-American child named Wadea al-Fayoume, who was just six years old.
“We must without equivocation denounce anti-Semitism,” stated the president. “We must also without equivocation denounce Islamophobia.”
The White House has not yet formally disclosed any information regarding the anticipated assistance package.
However, according to a source familiar with the request, the following would be included in the response to the request:
- $60bn for Ukraine and replenishing US stockpiles
- $14bn for Israel
- $10bn for humanitarian efforts
- $7bn for the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan
- $14bn for US border security
In addition, Mr. Biden took great pains to express his sorrow for the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and he also spoke of his desire to meet with the relatives of victims from both the United States and Israel who had been killed by Hamas.
The Democrats have high hopes that by linking the several aid packages together, they will be able to garner support for the cash for Ukraine, which is opposed by certain Republicans.
However, the request will be made at a time when Congress is practically paralyzed, as House Republicans have been unable to elect a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position more than two weeks ago as a result of a right-wing uprising.
Even though he acknowledged “divisions at home,” Mr. Biden, a Democrat, did not directly address the political dysfunction that has been plaguing the country.
“We have to get past them,” he emphasized. “As a great nation, it is not acceptable for us to allow petty, partisan, or furious politics to get in the way of our responsibilities.
“We will not and cannot allow tyrants like Putin and terrorist organizations like Hamas to prevail. I will not allow that to take place.”
Even if there were a new House Speaker, it is not sure that the spending agreement would be approved by Congress.
There is opposition within the Republican party, despite the fact that the Republican leader of the Senate has signaled their desire to take up the legislation.
In a letter, eight Republican lawmakers, led by Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, stated: “These are two separate and unrelated conflicts, and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in an attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line.”
Senator JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, said it was “disgusting” that Vice President Biden linked the two wars together.
After the speech, he made a post on X, which was then known as Twitter, in which he stated, “He’s using dead children in Israel to sell his disastrous Ukraine policy.”
On Thursday, there was even a sign of dissent within the Biden administration, as a state department official resigned in protest at the US decision to keep delivering weapons to Israel while it lays siege to Gaza. The individual’s resignation came in response to the US decision to keep sending weapons to Israel while it lays siege to Gaza.
Following his departure from his position as head of the bureau that is responsible for monitoring arms transfers, Josh Paul stated to the BBC that he believed Israel’s conduct breached US legislative provisions that are intended to prevent the sale of weapons to human rights abusers.
“I think our mechanisms for determining violations are broken,” stated the president.
