President Biden plans to address the nation from the Oval Office on Thursday night about the newly declared Israel-Hamas war and the ongoing one in Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian invasion. Biden was in Israel on Wednesday, and the speech was announced by White House aides before his plane landed back in the US, Deadline reports. The address is scheduled for 8pm ET. "President Biden will address the nation to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The president is going to send a package to Congress that would assist Israel and Ukraine for one year. The $100 billion proposal also will have aid for Indo-Pacific countries, including Taiwan, and spending for security at the US-Mexico border, per CBS News. Biden suggested on Wednesday that he will ask Congress for "an unprecedented support package for Israel's defense," per the Hill. Some Republicans in Congress have lacked enthusiasm lately for sending Ukraine more aid without greater oversight and have objected to combining assistance to both countries. Standalone aid for Israel, on the other hand, has attracted broad support from members of both parties. (More President Biden stories.)