
According to two members of Congress, an official from the administration, and a representative from the defense department, officials in President Joe Biden’s administration have privately informed lawmakers that the White House is putting together a supplemental funding request to send to Congress that includes funds for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and U.S. border security.
The sources added that administration officials planned to ask for money to construct more weapons in order to ease the burden that providing more military support for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan would place on the Defense Department’s stockpiles.
In his statement on Tuesday, Biden stated “when Congress returns, we’re going to ask them to take immediate action to provide funding for the national security requirements of our critical partners.”
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, stated on Tuesday that the additional request is being written by the Office of Management and Budget.
“We’ll figure out exactly what form that all takes,” Sullivan said.
The prospect of combining all the financing requests was discussed during the White House news conference on Wednesday by National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who told reporters that “active conversations” are taking place.
“I’m not prepared to go into detail about those conversations for you right now or, or telling you what those terms are going to be, because, frankly, those criteria haven’t been yet arrived at or even determined upon, but we are in ongoing discussions about additional funding,” he continued.
The White House and a few influential senators have been talking about tying aid to Israel and the Ukraine. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a Republican from Texas, has stated he is open to a package that includes funds for increased border security as well as help for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine.
However, a few House Republicans have voiced their resistance to the notion.
This week, representatives from the Biden administration briefed lawmakers on numerous occasions, including with interim deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland, interim undersecretary of defense for policy Sasha Baker, and interim deputy director for mission integration at the office of the national intelligence director Morgan Muir.