White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said on October 15 that the Biden administration will seek this week to get congressional approval for billions of dollars in aid to Israel and Ukraine.
U.S. media reported last week that the Biden administration had been discussing a $2 billion military aid package for Israel after Hamas -- designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU -- on October 7 invaded the country, sparking a war.
In an interview with CBS's Face The Nation, Sullivan said the emergency aid package Biden will present wil include aid for Israel and Ukraine and be "significantly higher" than $2 billion.
The Biden administration is seeking to link Israeli and Ukrainian aid after a minority group of Republicans in the House of Representatives shot down a $6 billion aid package for Kyiv last month.
U.S. aid to Ukraine will run out in a few weeks if no new emergency spending bill is passed.
The United States has already allocated $113 billion in aid to Ukraine but a growing number of House Republicans are souring on further support, with some fearing Russia's invasion of Ukraine will turn into a "forever war," putting a strain on U.S. resources.
Republicans are ardent supporters of Israel, making it hard for them to vote against a bill that would contain aid to both countries.
Sullivan also told CBS that he couldn't rule out Iran getting involved in the war between Israel and Gaza. "We have to prepare for every possible contingency," he said.
Israel declared war on Gaza after Hamas gunmen invaded, killing hundreds of Israelis. Iran is a longtime backer of Hamas and Tehran's possible involvement in the war would put Russia in a tough position in the Middle East, analysts say. Russia has deepened ties with Iran in recent years while trying to maintain cordial relations with Israel.
Sullivan said it was critical to get aid to Ukraine now amid a new offensive by Russia.
Ukraine has on average used up about $2.7 billion of U.S. military aid per month, according to calculations by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
However, Congress cannot pass any bills until a new House speaker is chosen.
A handful of Republicans joined with Democrats earlier this month in ousting Representative Kevin McCarthy (Republican-California) as House speaker, an unprecedented outcome.
Republicans, who control the House, have been unable so far to choose a new leader though they could do so next week.