White House may try to link Ukraine and Israel aid in order to 'jam the far right,' report says
- The White House may link Ukraine and Israel aid requests to secure GOP support, a report says.
- House Republicans have voted against Ukraine aid bills, as support for the war has dropped.
The White House could combine Ukrainian and Israeli aid requests in a single package to help secure support from Republican lawmakers, US officials told The Washington Post.
The Biden administration appears to be considering the strategy in order to fulfill its pledge to provide Ukraine with the assistance it needs to defend itself against Russia.
One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, told the newspaper such a move would "jam the far right," which opposes continued aid to Ukraine.
The Biden administration is facing opposition from House Republicans, led by its pro-Trump MAGA wing, who would rather see US taxpayers' money invested in domestic issues than Ukraine.
In July, 70 House Republicans supported an amendment to the country's annual defense bill that would have cut off all US military aid to Ukraine.
And last month, $6 billion was left out of the stopgap package put in place to prevent a government shutdown amid Republican opposition.
Biden's administration is now hoping to capitalize on the Republican Party's near-unanimous support for Israel to pass Ukraine aid through Congress.
According to White House officials and pro-Ukraine politicians, tying the two aid requests together could push some Republicans to vote for the entire package, since they would be unlikely to oppose military funding for Israel, the Washington Post reported.
But John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White House, declined to say if the two packages would be linked, per the newspaper.
The Biden administration will seek Congress' approval for more military aid to Israel, which could come as early as next week, the newspaper reported, citing top officials.