Last week, the White House released President Biden’s request for $105 billion in military and related aid related to wars ongoing in Ukraine, Gaza, and wars not yet begun, as well as a request for additional border funding.
An extra $105 billion in mostly military spending is no small matter, especially on top of the $886 billion military budget that has been working its way through Congress this year. The new request calls for tens of billions in additional military aid for Ukraine, more than three times the typical annual military aid to Israel to continue their siege on Gaza, and billions more for border agencies that have seen their budgets grow remarkably over recent years.
The administration has touted the bill as providing billions for the military industrial base (read: Lockheed, Raytheon, and the rest). In keeping with that, we found that the administration’s request would provide an additional $58 billion to the Pentagon, largely but not solely to support Ukraine and Israel in their wars. In the chart above, the majority of these funds appear under military aid designated for Ukraine and Israel. Military contractors stand to benefit from all of the proposed military aid, but especially from the $58 billion that would flow through the Pentagon.
In addition to Pentagon funding, the package includes $7.2 billion for direct military financing to Ukraine ($1.7 billion), Israel ($3.5 billion), and the Indo-Pacific ($2 billion). Less than $25 billion of the request is for non-military aid to Ukraine and Israel.
To date, the U.S. had approved $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, including $66 billion in military aid. The current proposal includes an additional $46 billion in military aid to Ukraine (including aid that passes through the Pentagon, as well as direct financing).
Combined with annual military aid to Israel of $3.8 billion (based on FY 23), the $13.9 billion request for military aid to Israel is equivalent to 75 percent of the total Israeli military budget ($23.6 billion in 2023). The $13.9 billion includes aid that passes through the Pentagon, as well as direct military financing. Israel’s siege on Gaza has violated international law and denied the humanity of the 2 million residents of Gaza.
So if Obama takes over for Biden.. once Kamala Harris is pushed out- there will be more, greater, war. Because Obama/Obomba is and was all about war.