House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said on Wednesday that the U.S. and Mexican government would agree to send $61.4 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia when the leaders meet at the White House. He announced that he would direct President Biden to secure the border.
“Before I talk about Ukraine, I'm going to tell the president what I've been telling you and what I've been telling the American people: Borders, borders, borders,” Johnson, 51, told reporters at the Capitol. ” he said.
“We have to secure our borders before we talk about doing anything else. That's the message I've had from day one,” Johnson added, adding that the Biden administration said he ignored Mr Johnson's questions about aid to Ukraine.
“What is the endgame and strategy in Ukraine? How will we be accountable for the funds?” he asked. “We need to know that Ukraine is not a second Afghanistan.”
Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will serve as president. They will gather in the Oval Office to discuss the $106 billion in national security requested by the president. Packages for border security in Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the United States.
The proposal includes $61.4 billion for Kiev's war effort, $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel to fight Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, and $13.6 billion to strengthen border security.
In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, McConnell also attacked Biden, 81, over the “urgent crisis” at the southern border, saying, “Negotiators are on the brink of the most significant border strengthening in nearly 30 years.” We are moving towards that goal.”
At the same time, Johnson has come under fire from the right wing of his caucus over the $1.66 trillion federal spending deal he reached with Schumer earlier this month, with hard-liners starting Friday night to take control of some parts of the government. There are growing concerns that the country will be forced to close.
Over the weekend, the House speaker released a leaked draft of an additional bill authored by conservative immigration-centered groups that offered a patchwork of solutions to the record immigration crisis at the southern border.
These provisions include increasing the amount of green cards awarded to 50,000 people per year and setting a daily expulsion threshold of 5,000 immigrants if the number of immigrants exceeds that number in a seven-day period. It was
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, the lead Republican negotiator on the bill, warned news organizations and lawmakers “not to believe everything you read on the internet” following the leak.
“I don't know exactly what the Senate has come up with because I haven't seen the document,” Johnson said Wednesday morning, adding that with Democrats in control of both the White House and the Senate, House Republicans are “not sure what the comprehensive package will be.” He added that he would not consider “immigration reform.”
“We can't do that right away,” he told reporters, adding that his conference “stands firm” in supporting last year's border security bill, known as HR2.
Schumer blasted a Senate companion bill to a Republican proposal last November that would make funding for Ukraine conditional on hard-line border policies that cannot be passed by Congress.
“HR 2 had a very important element: it reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy. End catch-and-release. Reformed the asylum program and the dysfunctional parole process. Rebuild the wall,” Johnson said. answered at a press conference. “You can't just choose from a menu and think the problem will be solved.”
“We are very proud of the U.S. Border Patrol, a 33-year veteran of the Border Patrol,” he said of a recent visit he and 64 House Republicans made to Eagle Pass, Texas, the epicenter of the migrant crisis on the southern border. I spoke with the deputy chief of staff.” .
He said the deputy told him the Border Patrol was not trying to “reduce flow,” but was “adding buckets” and “maintaining hydrants.”
“No one should use this for political purposes. There are too many risks. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49,” Johnson added. “Border cartels make billions of dollars trafficking people into the United States. …The human catastrophe cannot be overstated.”
