WASHINGTON — President Biden changed his tune Monday after White House staff rejected a recent request from the Louisiana Republican Party to discuss pending Ukraine aid and changes to U.S.-Mexico border policy, and Mike Johnson He said he would be “happy to meet” with the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The 81-year-old president told reporters on the White House lawn after returning from a long weekend vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware: “Of course, if you have anything to say, I’ll be happy to meet with you.” . House.
Mr. Biden’s desire to meet comes after his aides rejected Mr. Johnson’s requests for weeks.
Hill officials told the Post that the Speaker’s staff had been trying to set up a meeting for more than five weeks, but the White House had denied the request.
Johnson told reporters last week that he needed to meet Biden face-to-face to negotiate a path forward that could overcome sharp policy differences.
“I have been asking for the past month to meet with the president to discuss border and national security issues, but that meeting has not been granted.” Mr Johnson said Wednesday.
“I’m going to continue to advocate that because these are very serious issues that need to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the House can’t meet with the President of the United States, that’s a problem.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected Johnson’s request Wednesday, saying: Really, really, what’s a one-on-one negotiation when he’s being offered exactly what he asked for? So he’s negotiating with himself. He’s wasting a lot of money on his own. ”
Biden and Johnson attended the National Prayer Breakfast on February 1st, but have not met formally at the White House since January 17th.
The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package on Feb. 13, including $60 billion in war aid to Ukraine, but House Republicans called for more aid to Kiev and an influx of asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. They advocate a combination of new measures to prevent this. Johnson blames Biden’s policies, including releasing up to 85% of detainees to await asylum decisions in the United States.
Bipartisan border policy negotiations in the Senate did not involve House Republicans and ultimately collapsed amid criticism from conservatives. Opponents say the plan would give Biden the authority to take a more forceful approach, a power they say the president already had but refused to use.
Johnson also expressed misgivings about aid to Ukraine, accusing White House officials of woefully inadequate answers about the U.S. goal of helping Kiev fend off a two-year Russian invasion. There is.
He also called for closer oversight of aid flowing to the notoriously corrupt region, after Congress previously appropriated $113 billion for Kiev’s defense.
