President Biden expressed confidence that the US military can take on the responsibility of assisting on the battlefield in both the war between Israel and Hamas and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Biden emphasized the importance of the war in Israel and called the US “the most powerful nation in history” during an interview on CBS “60 Minutes” set to air Sunday night.
“We’re the United States of America for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history — not in the world — in the history of the world,” Biden declared.
“We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to. We are the essential nation,” Biden went on. “And if we don’t, who does?”
The 80-year-old president also vowed to track down the missing Americans, which the State Department has pegged at 15, including at least some who are hostages of Hamas.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to find them,” Biden pledged. “We’re workin’ like hell on it.”
Biden taped his interview with “60 Minutes” host Scott Pelly last Thursday.
The war erupted following Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Since then, some Republicans have urged the Biden administration to prioritize the Jewish State over Ukraine.
“Israel is facing existential threat. Any funding for Ukraine should be redirected to Israel immediately,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) posted on X last week.
In addition to Hawley, a bevy of House Republicans have soured on the prospect of continued aid to Ukraine.
The American public may have grown skeptical of additional support for Ukraine as well. Polls have shown mixed results on public support for aid.
Fifty-five percent of US adults didn’t want Congress to authorize additional aid to Ukraine, compared to 45% who support it, a CNN poll published in August found.
About 63% of the public backed additional military aid to Ukraine, per a Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey released this month.
Since the dawn of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress has authorized about $113 billion in support to the war-torn nation.
Not all of that aid has been sent over and that figure includes both military and humanitarian support.
The Biden administration has implored Congress to approve more funding for security assistance to Ukraine, due to dwindling authorized military aid.
Congress is currently in a state of paralysis with the House of Representatives lacking a permanent speaker and seemingly hamstrung from voting on major legislation.
There does appear to be widespread bipartisan support to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Additionally, Biden has already dispatched two aircraft carriers — the USS Eisenhower and USS Gerald R Ford — along with their strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean.
US officials are keen on deterring other actors such as terrorist group Hezbollah and Iran — likely through its proxies — from getting involved in the conflict.
Over 1,300 Israelis and 2,400 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to local authorities.
This includes at least 29 Americans who have died, according to the US State Department.