Biden prepares Oval Office speech on wars in Israel and Ukraine, asking billions
President Joe Biden will deliver only the second Oval Office address of his term on Thursday night to make the case for U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office address Thursday night as he makes his case for providing billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel and Ukraine, deepening American involvement in two very different, unpredictable and bloody foreign conflicts.
The funding request, expected to be formally unveiled on Friday, is likely to be around $100 billion over the next year, according to people directly familiar with the proposal who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The total figure includes some money for Taiwan’s defense and for managing the flow of migrants at the southern border with Mexico.
Biden hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval. His speech comes the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country in its battle against Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
