The Biden administration has detailed a new $106 billion emergency spending package with weapons aid for Israel and continued security assistance for Ukraine, of which $50 billion would be invested into the defense industrial base.
The new supplemental request specifically includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine support, $14.3 billion in assistance for Israel as the country prepares for a potential ground invasion of Gaza, $7.2 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants, $4 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and $3.4 billion to bolster submarine industrial base efforts.
“American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it’s just not worth it,” President Joe Biden said during an address to the nation last Thursday evening. “That’s why, [on Friday], I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine.”
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a letter to House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) detailing the administration’s request, and urged Congress to “act swiftly” on the spending package.
“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities. I urge Congress to address them as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement in the weeks ahead,” Young wrote in the letter.
The emergency supplemental request arrives as Congress must still complete work on final fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills ahead of a shutdown deadline on November 17, and while the House is without a permanent speaker and unable to progress on any legislation.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) officially dropped his bid for speaker on Friday after several unsuccessful votes, with the House GOP conference set to meet early next week to settle on a new consensus pick.
“Supporting the defense capabilities of our global partners is critical to our national security. With half of the requested security resources aimed at replenishing the United States’ military stocks, honoring this request would also create jobs and boost our economy. We will pay a much higher price if we do not stand up now,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to review President Biden’s request, including that for much-needed resources to protect our border, and working with Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate to quickly draft and pass an emergency supplemental funding package.”
The administration’s letter notes the request includes an “unprecedented commitment” to Israel’s security, which aims to bolster the country’s defenses following Hamas’ incursion on October 7 and as the country prepares for a potential ground invasion of Gaza.
“The security package I’m sending to Congress and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge, which we’ve committed to — the qualitative military edge,” Biden said on Thursday evening. “We’re going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel. We’re going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading.”
The request specifically calls for $4.4 billion to support Pentagon efforts to replace stockpiles of equipment sent to Israel and improving industrial base capability to rapidly replenish capabilities, along with $801 million for Army ammunition procurement to increase production capacity.
Israel would also receive $4 billion for procurement of Iron Dome air defense system and David’s Sling short-range ballistic missile defense capabilities, $1.2 billion for Israel’s Iron Beam laser-based defense system, and $3.5 billion in FMF funds to purchase U.S.-made defense equipment.
“With respect to Israel, the way the funding request works is that it will allow for us to acquire and provide more air and missile defense support to make necessary industrial base investments to increase our capacity to generate the types of systems that Israel needs to defend itself and also to replenish DoD stocks for munitions that we have provided them,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday morning.
Sullivan was also asked on Friday about whether the White House had concerns regarding arms transfers to Israel resulting in Palestinian civilian casualties.
“All of our arms transfers, including arms transfers to Israel, are rooted in the basic proposition that they will be used consistent with the law of armed conflict. There is no exception here and no difference here from any of our other arms transfers,” Sullivan said.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, during a briefing on Thursday noted the first shipments of U.S. military aid to Israel, including munitions, began arriving last week and are ongoing, with DoD preparing to provide Iron Dome interceptors as well.
“This assistance is comprised of capabilities requested by Israel to include precision-guided munitions, such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, small diameter bombs, 155mm artillery ammunition and other categories of critical equipment,” Ryder told reporters. “In the days ahead, we’ll be flowing additional Iron Dome interceptors so that Israel has the capabilities they need to sustain their Iron Dome defense systems and protect their citizens and cities from rocket attacks.”
Sullivan noted the billions of dollars in the request for continued Ukraine aid arrives as the U.S. has “nearly run out” of previously appropriated funding and authorities related to security assistance efforts to support Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion.
“As Ukrainians wage a tough counteroffensive and as winter fast approaches, the world is watching what the Congress does next. It is important that we continue to do everything we can to help Ukraine succeed on the battlefield and protect its people. As the president said, we cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted—we are the indispensable nation in the world, let’s act like it,” the administration wrote in its letter on the request.
The request includes $30.6 billion for DoD-related Ukraine aid efforts, to include $18 billion for replenishing stockpiles of equipment and increasing production capacity and another $12 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which are funds used to procure equipment from industry to be transferred to Ukraine.
The White House noted Ukraine and “countries impacted by the situation in Ukraine” would also receive $1.7 billion in FMF funds “to bolster capabilities such as air defense, artillery, armor, anti-armor and maritime security, among others, along with critical maintenance and sustainment requirements.”
“And let me be clear about something: We send Ukraine equipment sitting in our stockpiles. And when we use the money allocated by Congress, we use it to replenish our own stockpiles with new equipment that defends America and is made in America, [such as] Patriot missiles for air defense batteries made in Arizona, artillery shells manufactured in 12 states across the country — in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and so much more,” Biden said on Thursday evening.
To support partners in the Indo-Pacific, Sullivan noted the $2 billion in FMF funds designated for countries in the region would look to “strengthen deterrence and enhance peace and stability” with new capabilities.
“…It is critically important that we maintain our focus on the importance of integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific for the purpose of maintaining peace and stability. Our allies and partners in the region need our support more than ever, and this request provides resources to help them build the capabilities necessary to address threats from an increasingly assertive [China] and to meet emerging challenges,” the administration wrote in its letter.
The $3.4 billion for the submarine industrial base in the request includes $394 million for procurement-related efforts and $558 million for improvements to public shipyards.
“The budget request makes notable, strategic investments, including by strengthening our submarine industrial base, a key component to making our AUKUS agreement a success; and by improving our infrastructure and adding capacity to meet U.S. military requirements,” Sullivan said.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, supported the inclusion of the $3.4 billion, specifically citing the assistance for AUKUS-related efforts, while urging Congress to explore further assistance to bolster the industrial base.
“Inclusion of submarine industrial base funds is a welcome start to the process of fortifying our submarine maintenance and production capabilities, but it cannot stop here,” Wicker said in a statement on Friday. “As I have repeatedly said, our shipyards are under-resourced to meet the Navy’s urgent submarine requirements as well as meet the prospective demands of the AUKUS agreement. We must work to signal to both our allies and U.S. industry that we can meet the obligations of the AUKUS agreement without putting our own submarine fleet in jeopardy.”
The new emergency spending package is likely to supersede a supplemental request the Biden administration sent Congress in August, which included $5 billion in further Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding and another $4.5 billion to replace DoD weapons stocks and reimburse the department for services, education and training provided to Ukraine (Defense Daily, Aug. 10).