Blinken-Austin, calls on Congress to approve aid to Israel and Ukraine

2023-10-31 22:02:29, Kosova & Bota CNA

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the United States should immediately send aid to Israel and Ukraine. The two senior administration officials made the comments during a Senate hearing where they are calling for passage of massive $105 billion in emergency aid that has faced opposition in Congress.

Most Democrats and many Senate Republicans support tying aid to the two countries together, but it faces much deeper problems in the Republican-led House of Representatives. Its new chairman, Mike Johnson, has proposed ending aid to Ukraine and focusing only on Israel.

As divisions in Congress only deepen, Secretaries Blinken and Austin told senators that broad support for foreign aid would be a signal of American strength to adversaries.

"We are currently at a point where many believe that internal divisions are so deep in the United States that they jeopardize the fulfillment of the country's commitments," said Mr. Blinken.

Mr. Austin said that if Washington failed to play its leading role "the cost and threats to the United States would only increase."

"We must not give our friends, rivals or enemies any reason to doubt America's resolve," he said.

During their speech in Senmat the two secretaries were repeatedly interrupted by dozens of protesters calling for Israel to end its bombing of the Gaza Strip. The session was suspended, giving the police time to remove the protesters from the hall.

Mr. Biden has requested $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion to support Ukraine and replenish the Pentagon's stockpile of weapons, which have already been secured. The administration is also seeking $9.1 billion for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, Israel, Ukraine and elsewhere, as well as $7.4 billion for the Indo-Pacific, where the United States is focused on countering China's influence. The White House is also seeking about $14 billion to protect the US border, including an increase in the number of border agents, the deployment of new inspection machines to detect fentanyl and an increase in staff to process asylum cases.

The House's drastically reduced version, which provides about $14.5 billion, faced immediate resistance from Senate Democrats while putting pressure on House Republicans who support aid to Ukraine.

The different approaches signal ongoing problems as the two countries are embroiled in long-running conflicts that many US lawmakers say could have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world./ VOA