President Biden’s political pots, domestic and international, have reached a boiling point. Added to the usual ingredients, including the southern border problem and the conflict in the Middle East, now comes Senator Bernie Sanders’s call to halt military assistance to Israel (his resolution was defeated) and the intensified assaults from Iran on neighboring countries. Central to these issues is the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and the hostages caught in the throes of the battle see no end to their trepidation.
These issues and other pressing matters are sure to be on the agenda when Biden meets with congressional leaders on Wednesday. According to a press statement from the White House, he will urge leaders to pass a national security supplemental package that includes funding for Ukraine, Israel, border security, and more.
It’s hard to say what will be at the top of these issues, although it will be equally hard for him to set aside the spreading conflict in the Middle East, particularly with Iran becoming more belligerent and its proxy, the Houthis, stirring the pot of dissension.
On the latter point, the Biden administration will reportedly pursue a narrow definition of designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization, thereby minimizing labeling the Iranian-backed military group as a more extensive global terrorist organization.
Critical, too, is the continuing military and financial aid to Ukraine—for the U.S. to stop funding at this point would be an immense concession to Putin’s aim to destroy the country.
Adding to all of this, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly underwent surgery without informing Biden, surprising given the mounting problems in the Middle East. The Houthis’ unrelieved chaos and mayhem are a global dilemma.
Many of the problems Biden faces can be resolved if Congress agrees to his request for $106 billion, but that’s a crapshoot and a high-stakes one.