House Speaker Mike Johnson said he will push for tighter border security during his meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, signaling that legislation to send more aid to Ukraine is not possible without a deal.
“Before we even talk about Ukraine, I’m going to tell the president what I was telling all of you and what we told the American people: border, border, border,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We have to take care of our own house. We have to secure our own border before we talk about doing anything else.”
Biden was meeting with Johnson and other congressional leaders on Wednesday afternoon to discuss U.S. immigration policy and funding for Ukraine.
Republicans in Congress have blocked emergency funding that Biden has requested for Ukraine and threaten to force a partial shutdown of the government in an effort to tighten security along the U.S.-Mexico border; they blame Biden’s policies for leading to an influx of immigrants into the United States.
On Ukraine aid, Johnson said he wanted assurances from Biden that the country “would not be another Afghanistan.”
“The border is a catastrophe, and it has to be addressed,” Johnson said. “You’re going to see House Republicans standing and fighting on that hill because it’s important for the country.”
Senate leaders Wednesday expressed optimism that they could pass legislation to appease both parties.
“We are closer than we have ever been,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., earlier Wednesday said he believed a vote on foreign aid could come as soon as next week.
“One of the things that I keep reminding my members is, if we had a 100% Republican government — president, House, Senate — we probably would not be able to get a single Democratic vote to pass what [border negotiators] are trying to get together,” McConnell said. “So, this is a unique opportunity to accomplish something in divided government.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner | editorial.reyner@newsmax.com
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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