Congressional leaders concluded their meeting at the White House on Wednesday with cautious new hopes that they could reach a bipartisan agreement on funding for Ukraine and overhauling southern border policy. Indicated.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-New York) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters after their meeting that a deal on additional security funding would be voted on soon. He said it was possible.
“I'm more optimistic now that we can reach an agreement on the border and Ukraine that includes aid for Israel, humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and aid for Indochina in one package,” Schumer said. he said. “I'm giving my chances a little more than half right now. This is the first time I can say that.”
McConnell called it a “constructive discussion” and added that a deal “could be on the floor next week.”
Major moderate Republican lawmaker expresses support for impeaching Mayorkas, saying he should be tried for treason
Two of the Congressional leaders who met with President Biden at the White House on Wednesday were House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“We've been talking about this for a very long time. It's time to act,” he said upon returning to the Capitol on Wednesday.
The meeting was aimed at focusing on Democrats' request for $110 billion in additional aid to countries including Ukraine and Israel. But as the border crisis becomes an increasingly bipartisan issue, Republicans have been pushing for border and immigration reform to win support.
But while the Senate is debating bipartisan future direction on border policy, the House Republican majority is adamant that the provisions of H.R. 2, passed by the House last year, remain the same. includes things like the Trump administration's “Remain” border policy. Construction of a wall on the border with Mexico.
Johnson caught between rival House Republicans: 'Drifting towards mob rule'
Democrats, who control the Senate and the White House, insist the bill is not a starter.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican in the House of Representatives, who attended the meeting, cautiously encouraged President Biden to be open to changing border policy and suggested the meeting could be flexible. did.
Mr. Johnson was accompanied by, from left, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul. (Getty Images)
“He said he was prepared to make significant changes to the border. He said the border is broken, he knows it, and it needs to be fixed,” McCaul said of Biden. Ta.
He said he and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) specifically pushed for the Remain in Mexico clause.
“It's a significant policy change and it's going to get to the heart of the problem, which is what makes cartels tick,” McCall said. “If you stop it, you stop the flow and the problem is solved.”
House and Senate announce bipartisan agreement on government funding as shutdown deadline approaches
Regarding the current state of negotiations, McCaul said, “Of course we're pitching for HR2 as a whole. I also live in a practical world.”
As he left the White House, Prime Minister Johnson called the meeting “productive.”
Later on “The Ingraham Angle,” he suggested that Republicans were still pushing for passage of HR2, but said during the meeting that Biden was “ready to do big things on the border.” He said,”
National Guard soldiers on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 12, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, told reporters that Johnson did not specifically say during the meeting that it was HR2 or that it was nothing. He said he did not.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He said Johnson defended the bill's specific measures, arguing that “the issue that matters most to the American people is the border.”
The White House said of the meeting: “The president also made clear that we must act now to address the challenges at the border. He is encouraged by the progress in bipartisan negotiations taking place in the Senate.” “The president has expressed his determination.” “We need to reach bipartisan agreement on border policy and the need for additional resources at the border. The President called on Congress to quickly pass a supplemental national security provision.”
Fox News' Brianna O'Neil contributed to this report
