Share this @internewscast.com

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson wants an in-person, one-on-one meeting with President Joe Biden before proceeding with a supplemental aid package with funding for Ukraine and Israel, a source close to the Louisiana Republican told NBC News.

Johnson and his staff have requested the meetings with Biden through senior White House officials several times over the past two months after the speaker’s January trip to the U.S. border in Eagle Pass, Texas, the source said.

The most recent request for a meeting with the president came just over a week ago, several days before the Senate passed a bipartisan $95 billion national security package and before House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Johnson’s requests for a meeting with Biden were not necessarily pertaining to the Senate’s version of the supplemental aid; rather, a general path forward on a legislative package.

The Senate bill includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and passed with support from 70 senators.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Tuesday that Biden “refuses” to meet with Johnson.

“Ultimately, the two of them could come to an agreement that can become law,” Scalise said. “And yet the president refuses to even meet. So the president can’t say he’s serious about Ukraine or the border when he refuses to meet with the speaker so they can come to an agreement on this issue.”

A White House official pointed to what the administration characterized as Johnson’s inconsistencies on the border, saying that the speaker needed to wrap the negotiations he’s having with himself and stop delaying national security needs in the name of politics.

“That body language says, ‘I know I’m in a tough spot. Please bail me out,’” said a Democratic source involved with the supplemental aid package.

Biden met with Johnson alongside other congressional leaders less than a month ago to discuss a bipartisan immigration deal that would have unlocked aid to Ukraine. Johnson at the time called it “productive” meeting.

The president also spoke with Johnson last month about border security.

Johnson has said that any aid package must be paired with changes to U.S. border policy. However, the bipartisan border security bill negotiated between the parties was spiked by Senate Republicans this month, and it has been roundly criticized by Johnson.

In a statement Monday, Johnson said the Senate “should have gone back to the drawing board to amend the current bill to include real border security provisions that would actually help end the ongoing catastrophe. Instead, the Senate’s foreign aid bill is silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.”

Now that the Senate has passed an aid package for Ukraine and Israel that doesn’t include broad border policy changes, one of Johnson’s options includes putting the bill to a vote on the House floor, though the scenario appears to be increasingly unlikely as Republicans voice more skepticism on aid to Ukraine.

Earlier Tuesday, White House spokesman Andrew Bates released a memo calling on the House to pass the Senate bill.

“Will House Republicans side with President Biden and Senators on both sides of the aisle in supporting American national security? Or will House Republicans, in the name of politics, side with Vladimir Putin and the regime in Tehran?” Bates wrote. “The House GOP cannot lose sight of this binary choice. It would be devastating to undercut American national security by voting against our interests and values.”

Johnson this month backed a stand-alone bill that would provide aid to Israel, but the measure fell short of the two-thirds needed for passage under an expedited House rule. Many Democrats had argued that the legislation was politicized because Senate negotiators at the time had agreed to a separate package that addressed aid to Israel, among other measures.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Rahm Emanuel establishes new ROTC scholarship named after former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti

Rahm Emanuel Launches New ROTC Scholarship in Honor of Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Ex-Chief of Naval Operations

CHICAGO (WLS) — Former Ambassador and Mayor Rahm Emanuel established a new…
Fast food customer found terrifying note

Fast Food Patron Discovers Alarming Message

That’s one side that no one wants with their fast food order.…
Viral Coast Guard video shows dramatic arrest of suspected drug smugglers in open ocean

Coast Guard Video Captures Thrilling High-Seas Arrest of Alleged Drug Traffickers

A compelling and widely shared video from the Coast Guard highlights service…
President Biden at a dignified transfer ceremony.

Joe Biden Faces Health Concerns Following Medical Exam, Two Years After Cancer Removal

A MEDICAL evaluation of former President Joe Biden revealed that the politician…
Workers recovering wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash site.

UN Concludes Putin Responsible for MH17 Downing, Resulting in 298 Deaths, Including 10 Brits; Justice Remains Uncertain

RUSSIA shot down the MH17 passenger plane, killing 298 people including 10…
Bronx, New York City shooting: 16-year-old Evette Jeffrey shot, killed outside high school; 14-year-old person of interest

Teen Shooting in the Bronx: 16-Year-Old Evette Jeffrey Tragically Killed Near High School; Police Seek 14-Year-Old Suspect

NEW YORK — There was a somber start to school Tuesday morning…
‘The View’s Joy Behar Fires Back At Trump For Calling His Friend “Neurotic” And “Seriously Overweight”: “Look In The Mirror”

‘The View’s Joy Behar Responds to Trump’s Comments About Her Friend Being “Neurotic” and “Seriously Overweight”: “Have You Looked in the Mirror?”

Joy Behar from The View urged President Donald Trump to engage in…
Software update keeps Newark radar online but delays continue

New Software Update Keeps Newark Radar Operational, Yet Delays Persist

The delays continued at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday evening with…
Olympic Gold medalist Kyle Snyder arrested in Ohio prostitution sting

Olympic Champion Kyle Snyder Detained in Ohio Prostitution Operation

Police said Snyder was one of 16 men during the operation on…
Musk joins Trump on Saudi trip

Musk Accompanies Trump on Visit to Saudi Arabia

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump on his inaugural…
Tuesday Morning Minute: A Mother's Love

Tuesday Morning Briefing: The Love of a Mother

TOP O’ THE MORNIN’ Red-Hot at RedState  Indeed, it’s beneficial that this…
Livvy Dunne takes in Paul Skenes' Citi Field debut as Pirates battle Mets

Livvy Dunne Watches as Paul Skenes Debuts at Citi Field in Pirates vs. Mets Game

Olivia “Livvy” Dunne joined her fellow Sports Illustrated models at Citi Field…