According to a new emergency budget request published on Thursday, the Biden administration is pleading with Congress to spend six times more on aiding Ukraine in its conflict with Russia than on the fentanyl problem that is wreaking havoc on the border and the country as a whole.
Biden requested $24 billion in help for Ukraine in his letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with $13 billion going toward defense-related spending and the other $11 billion going toward economic and humanitarian aid.
However, Biden asked for only $4 billion to be spent on immigration and border security, as well as fighting the importation of fentanyl from other countries. The overall total of the requests was close to $40 billion.
After Congress approved $48 billion in funding for Ukraine in December, prior to Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives, an extra budget request was made.
Approval of the funding is expected to be an uphill battle in the House, where McCarthy has promised not to bring a supplemental Ukraine funding bill to the House. Many conservatives have been vocally opposed to giving Ukraine more money without greater accountability./read more