US President Joe Biden speaks to journalists during his return flight from Israel.
According to sources, the White House plans to ask Congress for $100 billion in a new package of financial support for allied countries
US President Joe Biden will address the nation on Thursday seeking support for the defense of Israel and Ukraine.
The speech will take place at 8pm (around 9pm Brasília time) in the Oval Office and will focus on the “response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine”.
The president, who returned from Tel Aviv on Wednesday, believes he can achieve a political consensus, or at least in terms of the budget, by combining two warring countries in the same aid package.
A source told AFP on Tuesday that the White House plans to ask Congress for $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the migrant crisis on the Mexican border.
See photos of the humanitarian aid convoy ‘barred’ at the Egypt-Gaza border
Resistance in Congress
Republicans doubt the advisability of increasing military aid to Ukraine, but they are the first to demand massive support for Israel and more firmness on immigration issues and with regard to China.
The quest to approve new aid packages comes amid a scenario of uncertainty in the House of Representatives. The more conservative wings of the Republican Party are unable to reach an agreement to elect the Speaker of the House.
Faced with this imbroglio, Biden wants to present himself as a man of action, even though polls warn that the electorate is worried about his age, since he is 80.
If he fails to mobilize Congress, where his Democratic Party only controls the Senate, the country will be heading for budget paralysis on November 17. The US has been living with fiscal problems, having already negotiated a rise in the debt ceiling.
And it remains unclear whether Biden will be able to convince enough moderate Republicans given the enormous influence of his rival and predecessor Donald Trump in the party.
Biden’s position on Israel has earned him praise even in conservative circles. However, if the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah fully enters the war, which would mean an escalation of the conflict, new criticism could be directed against him.