Prof. ST Hsieh
Director, US-China Energy Industry Forum
626-376-7460
October 21, 2023
But on October 6, 2021, The Nation had run an article:
We Are Not an Indispensable Nation
The United States can’t see further into the future than other countries. ANDREW J. BACEVICH
These headlines just do not add up: urgently Biden wants billions to support foreign countries while only a small amount on safeguarding our border. Where is the money going to come from? Under Biden’s watch, the federal government ran a US$320 billion deficit in the fiscal year of 2023 already. Defending fellow democracy is a noble cause, but Biden should take better care of his home court first. Look at what is going in the US now: financially we are broke, politically the government is dysfunctional to the extreme, socially we have an open border with unchecked illegal immigrants coming every day! So, we should ask President Biden what has happened with all the funds for the fiscal year 2023? Is the US better off in 2023 than 2022?
Under Biden’s watch, we have eye witnessed the fiasco of ending the forever war in Afghanistan, it is not over yet, then the proxy war in Ukraine lasting more than 600 days already without any exist strategy, now the urgent new Israel-Hamas war, where is Biden’s global strategy?
Thus, we should request Biden to submit a detailed budget with justifications before his request for funding is reviewed closely. Pay no attention to “Administration officials said they would determine where best to direct the money once it’s approved.” It is baloney!
Also, please forget “It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations.” First of all, Biden and his team has limited vision, they did not see this Hamas would attack Israel, for example. Secondly, Biden’s term finishes in January 2025 and the future generations will take care of themselves, including the runaway fiscal deficit and national debt, which Biden is not addressing at all. Please do not spend more and load our next generations with massive national debt.
Federal deficit rose to $1.7 trillion in fiscal 2023
Sylvan Lane
Fri, October 20, 2023 at 1:00 PM PDT·
The federal budget deficit rose to $1.7 trillion in fiscal 2023, according to data released Friday by the Treasury Department.
The gulf between how much money the federal government spent and made in revenue rose by $320 billion between fiscal 2023 — which ended September 30 — and the previous fiscal year.
Biden doesn’t just want aid for Ukraine and Israel. He also wants billions to confront China.
·Washington Correspondent
President Biden doesn’t just want new money to assist with wars in Ukraine and Israel. He also wants billions to confront China.
Within the nearly $106 billion supplemental funding request to Congress is an ask for $7.4 billion toward China-focused efforts by his administration.
The money would be divided between $3.4 billion for America’s submarines that operate in the region, $2 billion for new financing efforts to counter China’s economic might, and another $2 billion for State Department foreign military efforts.
If approved, the money could flow toward Taiwan and other US allies in the region and potentially re-inflame US-China tensions after a year of tense back and forth between the two superpowers.
This money is crucial, national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Friday, as part of “efforts to maintain peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific region adding that the new funds would represent “significant new resources to help [US allies] build the capabilities necessary to meet emerging challenges.”
Where the $7.4 billion focused on China would go
If approved, much of the money would be directed toward the US Navy’s public shipyards to build up the US’s capacity to stand up to China militarily.
The money would accelerate the building of attack submarines to patrol in the Indo-Pacific and help fulfill an ongoing security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US, Biden officials said.
The Biden administration is also asking for $2 billion to “provide a credible alternative to the People’s Republic of China’s coercive and unsustainable financing for developing countries around the world,” according to a fact sheet.
A third tranche of the money would allot $2 billion toward general military readiness efforts in the region.
The Biden administration didn’t outline precisely how much of the funds would go to Taiwan, with the political status of the island a long-running source of tension. Sullivan underlined Friday that the funds would be spread across the entire region and not be exclusive to Taiwan.
“If we walk away and let Putin erase Ukraine’s independence, would-be aggressors around the world would be emboldened to try the same,” he said from the Oval Office, saying the chaos could spread both to the Indo-Pacific as well as to the Middle East.
Biden to Send ‘Urgent Budget Request’ to Congress to Fund American Allies
Storyful
Thu, October 19, 2023 at 8:52 PM PDT
US President Joe Biden said on October 19 that an “urgent budget request” would be sent to Congress to fund “national security needs” and support US allies.
The White House is expected to request $100 billion dollars to deliver aid and resources to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and border management, according to media reports.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said.
Cotton: Biden’s $100B request ‘dead on arrival’
Alexander Bolton
Fri, October 20, 2023 at 10:50 AM PDT·
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a key ally of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), declared Friday that President Biden’s $100 billion foreign aid and national security funding request is “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill.
“President Biden’s slush fund proposal is dead on arrival, just like his budgets,” Cotton said in a statement.
“We will not spend, for example, $3.5 billion to address the ‘potential needs of Gazans,” he added, arguing that humanitarian assistance to Gaza could inadvertently fund “a resupply line for Hamas terrorists.”
Cotton balked at spending $11.8 billion to fund Ukraine’s nonmilitary needs, such as retirement pensions for Ukrainian government employees.
“Nor will we spend $4.7 billion for housing, transportation, and ‘services’ for illegal aliens in the United States rather than deporting them,” he warned.
Cotton’s tough talk signals a difficult negotiation ahead on Biden’s request for emergency funding for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
“The Biden proposal is going nowhere, and Senate Republicans will take the lead on crafting a funding bill that protects Americans and their interests,” Cotton said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised Biden’s request for sending a “clear message” to “friends and allies that we have your back.”
“This package demonstrates America’s commitment to supporting democracies across the world and above all ensuring that America’s families are safe here at home,” he said.
The president has also asked for $10 billion in humanitarian assistance and $2 billion for Indo-Pacific security.
Biden faces tough battle to secure $105 billion for Ukraine, Israel, the border and more
CHRIS MEGERIAN and MARY CLARE JALONICK
Updated Fri, October 20, 2023 at 10:03 AM PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday released a sweeping set of proposals to bolster Israel and Ukraine in the midst of two wars as well as invest more in domestic defense manufacturing, humanitarian assistance and managing the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The total cost of the supplemental funding request was pegged at just over $105 billion. President Joe Biden hopes Congress will move urgently on the legislation, and he made the case for deepening U.S. support for its allies during a rare Oval Office address on Thursday night.
The Democratic president’s plan faces some immediate complications on Capitol Hill. The House is at a standstill, unable to pass legislation, as the Republican majority struggles to choose a new speaker, and it could also get bogged down in a divided Senate where some Republicans want to add additional border policies to the measure.
The biggest line item in the supplemental funding request is $61.4 billion to support Ukraine. Some of that money will go to replenishing Pentagon stockpiles of weapons that have already been provided.
Israel would receive $14.3 billion in assistance under the proposal. The majority of that money would help with air and missile defense systems, according to the White House.
The reaction is emblematic of how Biden’s decision to roll together several different issues, in hopes of broadening the potential political coalition to ensure the legislation’s passage, could also lead it to its derailment.
Biden’s funding request includes $7.4 billion for a variety of initiatives geared toward the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. is focused on countering China’s influence. The money is divided among joint security initiatives in the region, bolstering submarine manufacturing as part of a partnership with Australia and developing financing programs for countries that would otherwise rely on Beijing.
Another $9.15 billion is geared toward humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and other places. Administration officials said they would determine where best to direct the money once it’s approved.