$1.45b allocated for Jordan in Biden’s proposed 2023 budget — US embassy

AMMAN — US President Joe Biden has proposed a draft budget for the fiscal year 2023, allocating Jordan $1.45 billion, the media office at the US embassy in Amman said on Thursday.

Replying to questions by Al Mamlakah TV, the office said that the suggested amount for Jordan next year exceeds any previous presidential order related to the budget allocated for the Kingdom, stressing that Congress is the side that will endorse the final amount for Jordan for 2023.

The media office said that President Biden's request is an indicator that the US is preparing to continue its support to the Kingdom, which is considered a "friendly and close country for so long, a priceless ally, and one of the basic strategic partners."

As for US assistance for Jordan for coming years, the office said that US and Jordanian officials are discussing the means on how to restructure future US assistance and a new memorandum of understanding, where talks are still ongoing, expecting this aid not to be interrupted.

In 2018, the US and Jordan signed a five-year memo, under which the US president pledged more than $6.3 billion as foreign assistance to Jordan until the end of 2022.

The office said that Washington is keen on offering financial support to Jordan so that it can enhance the Kingdom's stability at the long terms through basic structural economic reforms.

It also said that under the current MoU, the US president pledged to at least $1.275 billion as economic and security assistance from Congress annually, noting that Congress in some years listed additional aid, where, for instance, it allocated $1.65 billion for 2022.

The office expected the direct monetary support deal, worth $845.1 million, with the Jordanian government to be ready by early December, noting that these amounts are disbursed according to the scheduled dates.