Biden to deliver Oval Office address on Israel and Ukraine on Thursday
President Biden will deliver an address to the nation from the Oval Office on Thursday about the recent Hamas attacks against Israel and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the White House said.
"Tomorrow, President Biden will address the nation to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement, adding that the speech will be broadcast from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET.
Mr. Biden is returning to Washington after a brief trip to Israel on Wednesday, where he met with Israeli leaders to show support for the key U.S. ally after the Oct. 7 attacks that killed more than 1,400 people. He also stressed the need to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza, and said on Air Force One that Egypt had agreed to allow a convoy of trucks with supplies to enter the blockaded territory.
CBS News reported on Tuesday that the president is planning to ask Congress for an additional year-long aid package worth $100 billion that would include funding for Israel, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific countries including Taiwan, as well as measures to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The U.S. has sent tens of billions of dollars' worth of aid and weapons to Ukraine to help in their fight against Russia, but the White House has warned that additional support could soon be delayed without action from Congress. Ukraine aid has been a sticking point in negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, most recently in the fight over avoiding a government shutdown. Many GOP lawmakers object to sending Kyiv more assistance without stricter oversight of where the money and weapons are going.
An emergency aid package for Israel, meanwhile, has attracted broad bipartisan support. House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have stressed the urgency behind electing a new speaker of the House who can bring a bill to the floor to provide funding for Israel. That effort stalled again on Wednesday, when Rep. Jim Jordan fell short of the votes needed to capture the speaker's gavel for the second time.
The president most recently addressed the nation from the Oval Office in June, when he hailed passage of a deal to raise the debt ceiling.