Staff Reports
President Joe Biden suffered another embarrassing gaffe as he mistakenly called on Congress to fund NATO during his vacation in Delaware. In reality, the bill he referred to was aimed at providing aid to Ukraine, not the NATO alliance. The bill includes a whopping $8 billion in direct budget support for the Ukrainian government, as well as $14 billion for weapon purchases and $15 billion for military services. Additionally, there’s $10 billion in humanitarian aid earmarked for Ukraine, as well as Gaza and other war-torn regions. Not to be forgotten, there is also $14.1 billion allocated for Israel’s military operations and $1.9 billion for Taiwan’s weapon stockpile.
The President’s mix-up was not just a slip of the tongue, but a display of his lack of understanding of international alliances. While urging Congress to return from their recess to pass the legislation, Biden ignorantly championed the funding of NATO, despite the fact that neither Ukraine, Israel, nor Taiwan are members of the NATO alliance. This gaffe is just another example of the President’s foreign policy fumbles and raises concerns about his ability to navigate complex international relations.
Biden seemingly confuses Ukraine being in NATO in appeal to pass aid bill https://t.co/FvcTVT5bLw via @dcexaminer
— Huh? (@mosfet99) February 19, 2024
Although the Senate managed to approve the bill, it hit a roadblock in the House, which is currently on a two-week recess. Speaker Mike Johnson had initially indicated that the House would not pass the bill. However, following the tragic death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Johnson seems to have had a change of heart, now suggesting that the United States should use “every means available to cut off Putin’s ability to fund his unprovoked war.”
Despite his urgent plea to Congress, Biden himself continued to luxuriate in his vacation home in Delaware, rather than prioritizing his duties in the nation’s capital. This comes as no surprise, given that Biden took a staggering 22 days of vacation last year, on top of the 138 days he spent working remotely from various vacation spots. When tallying up all three years in office, Biden racked up a grand total of 254 days in Delaware, amounting to a shocking 408 days away from the White House.
Even as Biden continues to stumble on the world stage, Vice President Kamala Harris made lofty promises to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. would stand by Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. However, given the Biden administration’s track record of mixed messages and blunders, it remains to be seen whether these assurances will translate into meaningful action.
