(BrightPress.org) – Biden gaffed yet again on Saturday, February 16th, confusing NATO with Ukraine in comments given regarding a controversial international aid bill on Saturday, February 17th. Biden wanted members of the House to return from a 2-week hiatus so they could approve a $95 billion Senate funding bill that includes $60 billion in additional Ukrainian war funding.
The bill also includes $14.1 billion for Israel, $9.5 billion in humanitarian support for Gaza, $2 billion for Red Sea defense from the Houthis, and a few billion more for Asia-Pacific allies currently coping with Chinese naval aggression in the region. The international aid provisions were spliced from a border bill wherein the border provisions were outright rejected by Republicans; the bill failed 49-50 in the Senate and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said it would be “dead on arrival” in the House.
Johnson has also suggested the current funding bill is also unlikely to come to the floor for a vote in its current form. Johnson is facing pressure from so-called “hardline conservatives” in his party who reject additional funding for the Ukrainian war; the U.S. has already invested roughly $113 billion in the war with proponents refusing to cap the amount at any level.
Biden seemingly confused Ukraine and NATO suggesting that refusal to fund the war would leave Ukraine behind and “split” NATO. It’s unclear if the president believes Ukraine is already in NATO, which it is not. Biden suggested the move would hurt the U.S. without elaborating on specifics. He also asked Congress to return to D.C. and “pass the legislation funding NATO.”
The bill doesn’t include any funding for the European common-defense pact. Biden’s gaffes are becoming more obvious in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s classified documents scandal. Hur ultimately ruled that while Biden was likely in violation of the law, prosecution wasn’t recommended due to his advanced age and poor memory.
Biden’s mental decline is undeniable after several confusions cropped up recently. He’s called Egyptian President Sisi “the President of Mexico,” confused French PM Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkle with two dead politicians who previously held their respective offices, and even forgot about a photo op on Valentine’s Day moments after it happened.
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