The US president has met with congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, at the White House to discuss foreign aid and government funding.
According to a White House press pool report, Biden, a Democrat, focused on aid to Israel.
“We need to turn the supplemental [funding bill]. We need to deal with the Israelis. But that also contains a significant portion having to do with humanitarian assistance in the Palestinian area, which I think is important,” Biden said. “And we have to replenish the air defences for Israel.”
This month, the US Senate passed a $95.3bn foreign aid bill that included $14bn in assistance to Israel and billions more for Ukraine and Taiwan, but Johnson has blocked it so far from coming to a vote in the House of Representatives as Republican opposition to aid for Kyiv grows.
Biden’s renewed calls to pass funding for Israel come as hunger worsens in Gaza as a result of the Israeli siege on the territory.
source: AlJazeera
