The US government is reportedly working on a foreign aid package with a total value of $100 billion, according to two persons acquainted with the facts.
Apparently, the White House was still ironing out the kinks in the budget proposal this week before sending it out to Congress.
Budget Includes Israel, Ukraine
Sources told ABC News that Ukraine would get the "bulk" of the funding and that Israel would also receive $10 billion. In order to discuss information that the White House had not yet revealed, the officials talked on the condition of anonymity.
This move comes as President Joe Biden heads to Israel to demonstrate solidarity with the Jewish state in the wake of the horrific terrorist assault on Israeli citizens on October 7.
Senate leaders on Capitol Hill said on Tuesday, October 17, that such a comprehensive assistance package would have bipartisan backing.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, "We'd like to get the supplemental package moved as quickly as possible because the needs are great in both Israel and Ukraine."
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has said that he is in favor of combining assistance for Ukraine and Israel. He added that he expects the administration to add funds for border protection as part of this package, too. "The border part of it needs to be credible, not just some reference to it but a credible deal."
The $100 billion figure was initially reported by Bloomberg.
US Standpoint on Mideast Conflict
While international groups accuse Israel of worsening a humanitarian crisis by not allowing food, water, or electricity into Gaza, the international community has proposed aid to Israel following extensive discussions between the two countries.
According to an unnamed senior administration official, Biden officials have become genuinely concerned behind closed doors about militants inside Israel pressing for a scorched-earth military response that would not be enough to avert civilian losses. Officials there have been resistant to sending humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and at one point this week, advisors thought only the president himself could persuade them of the benefits to their country's security.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was questioned about the talks and replied that the US is not instructing the Israeli military on how to carry out itself but that civilians must be safeguarded. However, he stressed the need to adhere to the rules of war, something that Biden has pressured Israel on.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Israeli counterpart had extensive talks earlier this week. The two partners seemed to have achieved some form of compromise after those talks. As President Biden travels to the region, authorities in the US are discussing the specifics of the relief package he will bring.
