Being “the lighthouse of the world” does not come for free. So, one day after defining the United States in those terms in a televised address to the nation about the war between Hamas and Israel and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden has put a price on the insult: $106.6 billion (100,600 millions of euros). That is the amount that the White House has requested from Congress as aid to Ukraine, Israel, and a series of Pacific countries neighboring China, among which it does not expressly mention Taiwan – although it is assumed that it would be one of the recipients. of aid – and it does, indirectly, with Australia. Part of that amount will be humanitarian aid for Ukraine and, above all, Gaza.
And, furthermore, in a concession to the Republican opposition, Biden includes more funds for the fight against illegal immigration. Another item includes combating the surge of fentanyl and other opioids sweeping the United States, and finally, a small but significant amount goes toward upgrading the U.S. military industrial base to facilitate manufacturing of the weapon that the Pentagon increasingly sees as the key to its Cold War with China: nuclear submarines.
For now, the plan is just a declaration of intent, given that the Republicans in Congress are in a real civil war that has led them to leave the House of Representatives without a president, meaning that this body is not functioning and, consequently, , cannot approve any law, of any kind.
By items, the plan is as follows:
· 61.4 billion dollars (58 billion euros) in military aid to Ukraine, which should serve to cover that country’s needs until after next year’s elections in the United States;
· 14.3 billion dollars (13.5 billion euros) in military aid to Israel, especially to replace the ammunition (especially artillery) that Israel has used, and to provide missiles for its Iron Dome anti-missile system. It also includes help to develop new anti-missile missile systems;
· 14 billion dollars (13.2 billion euros) in the fight against illegal immigration, including the hiring of more Border Patrol agents and the reinforcement of existing security systems;
· 9.5 billion dollars (9 billion euros) in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and, above all, to Gaza;
· 4 billion dollars (3.8 billion euros) in aid to Pacific countries to confront China;
· 3.4 billion dollars (3.2 billion euros) to expand the four publicly owned shipyards that build nuclear submarines, so that these ships can be delivered as soon as possible to Australia, as part of the AUKUS agreement (of which Great Britain is also a party Britain) signed in 2021 to counter the Chinese presence in the Pacific.