House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has told Congress leaders from the Baltic states that he disagrees with President Biden’s national security supplement, which includes aid to Ukraine, due to concerns about border reform, according to sources familiar with the matter. He said there was a “high possibility” that they would split. conversation.
Mr Johnson told European leaders that any decision would ultimately depend on border documents from Senate negotiators, the people said.
The Hill has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. The chairman’s statement is First reported by Semafor. Johnson’s press secretary Raj Shah told Semaphore that the comment was made in a hypothetical context.
The comments came as Johnson and other Republicans suggested that the Senate deal combining aid to Ukraine with changes to immigration and border policy would be “killed on arrival” in the House if the bill’s language matched recent reports. It was held in the midst of Its contents.
One of the rumored key provisions of the deal, which has sparked strong Republican opposition, concerns the executive branch’s power to stop immigration if the number of illegal immigrants exceeds 5,000 per day. Republicans opposed to the deal say the standard should be much lower.
Former President Trump called on Republicans to reject a bipartisan border deal that would deprive President Biden of legislative victories. Democrats have accused Republicans of sabotaging the deal because they want to help President Donald Trump in Biden’s 2024 presidential bid, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that the idea was “ridiculous.”
House Republicans have increasingly opposed more aid to Ukraine, but European allies have expressed confidence that Johnson and a majority of Congress will support continued U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the border policy reform negotiators, maintains border policy reform as part of a larger national security complement that includes assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. He said there was still agreement to do so.
“We have a deal. I think the bigger question we’re trying to resolve is whether we have the votes in the Republican conference to pass this,” he said.
“I think the call to bring the border and Ukraine together is pretty consistent in the House as well as the Senate.”
Even though Congress has not yet made progress toward passing new aid to Ukraine, European lawmakers say Democrats and Republicans are finally pushing back on continued U.S. military and economic aid to Kiev. He has consistently expressed confidence that he will move forward.
The three Baltic states’ parliament speakers spoke to reporters Wednesday morning and said their talks with Johnson were positive and that Johnson expressed U.S. support for Ukraine.
Estonian parliament speaker Lauri Hassall says the speaker of the lower house is “ready” to provide U.S. aid to Ukraine, saying there must be a way to find solutions to the “problems” and “domestic issues” that stand in the way. Stated. .
“He has expressed his readiness to work towards a solution in order to continue supporting Ukraine,” Hussar said.
Latvian Parliament Speaker Daiga Mielisa said the leaders of the Baltic states were confident of majority support in parliament for providing aid to Ukraine.
“Yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet with various members of Congress and committee leaders. Of course, opinions differed and we heard a variety of views. But overall, I am happy to say that there is widespread support for Ukraine. ” she said.
“Chairman Johnson also confirmed this close partnership.” [with the Baltics] And this close partnership will continue into the future. ”
Emily Brooks contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
