The White House sent President Biden’s supplemental war budget to Capitol Hill yesterday. According to press reports, it amounts to $105 billion. Of that total, $50 billion goes directly into expanding the capacity of the defense industrial base and is being sold as a jobs program. “The funding will expand production lines, strengthen the American economy, keep us safe, and create new American jobs,” Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young said during a conference call with reporters.
The total request is divided among the wars in Ukraine and Israel, “deterrence” in East Asia and for U.S. border security. It calls for $44.4 billion for weapons for Ukraine, though $30 billion will really be for replenishing stocks of weapons that the Pentagon has already sent there, reported Defense News. The request also includes $14.3 billion in more military aid for Israel, including $10.6 billion for air and missile defense support as well as replenishment funds to backfill U.S. stocks of weapons the Biden administration has already sent to Israel.
