• US Pres. Joe Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $24B in Ukraine aid, senior admin. officials told reporters on Thursday. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• The request includes $13B for security assistance and $7.3B for economic and humanitarian assistance while also setting aside $3.3B to fund infrastructure in countries affected by the war — reportedly to prevent Chinese lending in those countries. CNN (a) (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• It also requests funding for a range of domestic issues, including $12B for disaster relief, $4B for managing America's southwest border, and $4B for combating the trade of illicit drugs, namely fentanyl. The total for the request comes to roughly $40B. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• The request for additional funding for Ukraine comes as its long-anticipated counteroffensive largely fell short of its own and Western expectations, bringing into question how long foreign aid — which Ukraine is highly dependent on — can continue. CNN (b) (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• Biden has promised support will last "as long as it takes," and Democrats have largely followed. However, the issue will likely cause a divide among Republicans. For instance, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has previously said he opposed a "blank check" for Ukraine, while Mitch McConnell, the GOP's Senate leader, has been a vocal supporter of continued funding. CNN (a) (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• Meanwhile, the American public's support for its tax dollars going to Ukraine has gradually waned over time. A CNN poll published last week showed that 55% of those asked don't support additional funds for Ukraine. CNN (c) (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Democratic narrative:

• This request, which enjoys strong support, demonstrates that the US continues to stand in firm support of Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion. There will be some challenges for it to pass, but it should do so.
  Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)

Republican narrative:

• This exorbitant request promises huge sums of money to Ukraine while continuing to neglect America's vast problems at home. In fact, it will send six times the amount of money to Ukraine, compared with how much Biden has requested for the problems at the border and the fentanyl crisis.
  FOX News (LR: 4 CP: 4)

Nerd narrative:

• There's a 50% chance that the US will direct at least $13.61B in security assistance to Ukraine's military from Congress's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and Foreign Military Financing programs in FY 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)