U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have urged Congress to send aid to Israel and Ukraine immediately, arguing that broad support from U.S. lawmakers for the assistance would signal strength to adversaries worldwide.
Austin and Blinken testified on October 31 before the Senate Appropriations Committee as Congress considers President Joe Biden’s request for $105 billion in emergency aid to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. border security.
Blinken and Austin warned members of the committee that the consequences of failing to help Ukraine in its war with Russia and Israel as it strikes back against Hamas would be dire.
"I can guarantee that without our support [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will be successful," Austin said, adding that if the United States fails to lead, the cost and the threats to the United States will only grow.
“We must not give our friends, our rivals, or our foes any reason to doubt America’s resolve," Austin said.
Blinken agreed that inaction would threaten the security of the United States and the rest of the world.
“Our adversaries and competitors alike recognize that our strategies are working and they continue to do everything they can to disrupt us," Blinken said. "We now stand at a moment where many are again making the bet that the United States is too divided or distracted at home to stay the course.”
Biden has requested $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion to support Ukraine. The remaining money would go to humanitarian efforts in Gaza and elsewhere, the Indo-Pacific, and to protect the U.S. border.
While there is bipartisan support in the Senate, Biden’s request faces problems in the House of Representatives, where Republicans are trying to focus on funding for Israel alone.
Blinken and Austin argued that the aid should be tied together because the conflicts are interconnected. Blinken said that assisting Ukraine and Israel also will strengthen the U.S. position against Iran, a financial backer of Hamas.
“Since we cut off Russia’s traditional means of supplying its military, it has turned more and more to Iran for assistance,” Blinken said. “In return, Moscow has supplied Iran with increasingly advanced military technology, which poses a threat to Israel’s security. Allowing Russia to prevail with Iran’s support will embolden both Moscow and Tehran.”
Austin said the money would help Israel and Ukraine defend themselves against aggression -- and replenish U.S. stockpiles. About half the $61.4 billion for Ukraine would be spent in the United States to backfill weapons stocks drained by previous support for Kyiv.
“In both Israel and Ukraine, democracies are fighting ruthless foes bent on their annihilation,” Austin said. “We will not let Hamas or Putin win. Today’s battles against aggression and terrorism will define global security for years to come.”
Blinken and Austin were repeatedly interrupted by protesters who called for Israel to end its bombardment of the Gaza Strip and called for an immediate cease-fire.
Blinken told the committee after the protesters were escorted out of the hearing room that he heard “the passions expressed in this room and outside this room” about aid to Israel.
The United States is committed to protecting civilian life, he said, “but all of us know the imperative of standing up with our allies and partners when their security, when their democracies, are threatened.”