WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the emergency sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition to Israel and also called for quick congressional approval for more than $100 billion in aid for Israel, Ukraine and other national security priorities.
Blinken said the necessity of Israel's military operations in Gaza justified the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is currently fighting with Hamas,” he said in television interviews. “And we want to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas.”
The tank munitions and related support represent only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and the rest is still subject to congressional review. “It is very important that the voice of Congress is heard here,” he said.
The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million in tank shells came as the Biden administration's larger aid package became embroiled in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.
Blinken noted that President Joe Biden has said he is willing to make significant compromises to get the relief package off the ground. “The president is fully prepared to engage in this,” Blinken said.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said there is bipartisan agreement that something must be done to address the record number of migrants entering the United States from Mexico.
“We want to solve this, secure the border. I just saw the President of the United States say that we must secure the border. He's right. “So any effort that doesn’t do that will be rejected by Republicans,” Romney said.
The stakes are particularly high for Ukraine, Blinken said, as “we are running out of resources for the Ukrainians.”
“This is the time to really get involved because if we don’t, we know what will happen. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be able to move forward with impunity and we know he will not stop in Ukraine.”
Congress has already allocated $111 billion to help Ukraine, and Biden's budget director Shalanda Young said in a letter to House and Senate leaders last week that the U.S. would be short of funding for weapons and aid supplies through the end of the year Ukraine will end this year, which would “bring Ukraine to its knees” on the battlefield.
But Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said the administration has yet to justify the additional aid to Ukraine. “So what we're saying to the president, and really to the world, is that you need to articulate what your goal is. “What will $61 billion do that $100 billion didn’t?” Vance said.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the money would make a difference because Russia is struggling to finance its war effort. “It can change the outcome of this war,” Murphy said. “Because at the same time as our renewed commitment to Ukraine, Russia’s ability to continue this war is at risk.”
Romney said he also supports aid to Ukraine. “I think it is very much in America's interest for Ukraine to be successful and to provide the weapons that Ukraine needs to defend itself. Anything else would, in my opinion, be a major violation of our responsibility to the world of democracy, but also to our own national interests,” he said.
Blinken appeared on ABC's “This Week” and CNN's “State of the Union.” Romney and Murphy appeared on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Vance was on CNN.