Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday he hopes House Republicans will “stand firm” as Senate Republicans negotiate a deal with Democrats on border security and Ukraine funding.
“We want House Republicans to stand firm and tell Senate Republicans, 'We want a real border bill or we don't want anything at all, and we're going to pass aid to Ukraine with no regard for our borders,'” Gingrich said. 'I don't intend to do that,'” Gingrich said. 77 WABC's “Cats & Cosby” show.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) met with President Biden and Congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the additional national security package requested by the president.
Biden wants Congress to pass billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But House Republicans have insisted that Biden must first agree to demands on border security before any more tax money can flow to Ukraine.
Johnson confronts Biden over dozens of measures to weaken border, telling him to 'do his job'
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is seen at the U.S. Capitol before entering the office of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“We're not playing politics with this. We're asking for real, transformative policy change, and that's what the American people need and deserve,” Johnson said Wednesday before his meeting with Biden. Because there is, and they want it too.”
The proposed national security package includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel (with $10.6 billion earmarked for military aid), some border security provisions and Indo-Pacific security assistance. This includes a significant investment of $13.6 billion, for a total investment of approximately $7.4 billion. Additionally, $9 billion has been allocated for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza.
Johnson said he wanted Biden to be clear about the endgame and strategy for Ukraine, financial accountability, and guarantees that Ukraine “doesn't become another Afghanistan,” but that his top priorities were “the border, It was “Border.''
Last year, Senate Republicans derailed plans to unanimously pass a supplemental bill linking aid to Ukraine and Israel, arguing that the two should be separated. But Republican lawmakers are now using $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine as a prerequisite for passing border security policies, despite several appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Capitol Hill for continued aid. associated with changes in
Johnson sticks to bipartisan deal as Republican rebels concede defeat in short-term spending battle
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks during a press conference after the Republican convention at the U.S. Capitol on January 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Mr. Biden flatly rejected the House Republican border proposal, HR2, which the House passed last May. Democrats want to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would provide amnesty and a path to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States.
Over 300,000 immigrants encountered This is an all-time record for the U.S.-Mexico border in December.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is leading bipartisan border deal negotiations that Senate Republicans hope will allow them to advance national security policy, but Johnson said Wednesday , said after meeting with Biden that House Republicans' position remains personnel. 2.
“I hope they do.” [in the Senate] Come up with something meaningful. But what I've said from the beginning is we have to have HR 2, or a functional equivalent,” Johnson told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
House and Senate announce bipartisan agreement on government funding as shutdown deadline approaches
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) addresses the press after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, January 17. , 2024. (Salwan Georges/Washington Post via Getty Images)
”[H.R. 2] has very important provisions. We will reform our asylum and broken parole processes. We will restore the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy, which is essential. That will end catch-and-release,” he said.
“We need to rebuild the wall. There are other factors, some of which are essential to stem the tide.”
But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that the border issue should not be the only priority for Republicans.
“The rest of the bill is important. We're being shot at. The Houthis are shooting at our ships, our commercial ships. There's a war in Israel, there's a war in Ukraine. “I think the Chinese people were probably dissatisfied with the results of Taiwan's presidential election a few days ago,” McConnell said. “I think it's about time to move forward with the supplement. I expect it to be done next week.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Mr. Gingrich disagreed with Mr. McConnell on “Cats & Cosby,” emphasizing the importance of border security to Americans, but said he supported Ukraine's war against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The American border is at least as important to Americans as the Ukrainian border. And I'm all for stopping President Putin, but at the same time, the sheer numbers that Biden has brought to this country and their programs are completely It was dishonest,” he said.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
