U.S. President Joe Biden has requested Congress to pass a budget package supporting Ukraine and Israel, while House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, announced plans to handle the Israel aid bill separately.
Speaker Johnson appeared on Fox News on the 29th (local time) and said, "We will pass a separate bill in the House this week to support Israel," adding, "We believe this matter is urgent and an immediate necessity." He expressed confidence that the bill solely supporting Israel would receive bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, emphasizing, "We can no longer afford to waste time."
Earlier, President Biden submitted a security budget bill worth $105 billion (approximately 142 trillion won) to Congress on the 20th to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel. As opposition to aid for Ukraine continued within the Republican Party, the Israel aid was bundled as a package. The budget includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine aid, $14.3 billion for Israel aid, and $10 billion for humanitarian aid to Palestinian residents, among others.
Johnson, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee, has openly opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine. The Republican Party is reportedly planning to propose a separate budget bill to provide $14.5 billion in aid to Israel.
Additionally, Speaker Johnson commented on the approaching mid-next-month deadline of the temporary budget bill passed on the 30th of last month to prevent a federal government shutdown, stating, "We can discuss an additional temporary budget bill." He suggested that "there may be some conditions attached" to the additional temporary budget bill, hinting at proposals for further spending cuts.
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