The White Home threw chilly water on the prospect of a sit-down between President Biden and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), arguing Wednesday that there’s nothing to barter and the Speaker ought to carry a bipartisan nationwide safety funding invoice up for a vote.
“What’s there to barter? Actually, really, what’s the one-on-one negotiation about, when he’s been introduced with precisely what he requested for?” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a briefing with reporters.
“He’s negotiating with himself. He’s killing payments on his personal,” she continued. “And if he had been to place that invoice that simply got here out of the Senate — the nationwide safety supplemental that doesn’t have border safety in it as a result of he stated he didn’t need it, he modified his thoughts — it might move. It will move in a bipartisan means.
“So, it simply doesn’t make sense to us,” Jean-Pierre added.
Johnson advised reporters Wednesday he’s been requesting a gathering with Biden “for weeks.”
“A month I’ve been asking to sit down down with the president to speak in regards to the border and speak about nationwide safety, and that assembly has not been granted,” Johnson stated. “And I’m going to proceed to insist on that, as a result of they’re very critical points that have to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the Home can’t meet with the president of the US, that’s an issue.”
Jean-Pierre famous Biden met with Johnson and different congressional leaders on the White Home in January to debate help for Ukraine in its conflict towards Russia, in addition to different nationwide safety funding the administration had pushed for.
Johnson had maintained help for Ukraine would have to be handed with important upgrades to frame safety.
The Senate earlier this month unveiled a bipartisan border safety bundle to go together with nationwide safety funds for Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific allies. However Johnson declared that invoice lifeless on arrival within the Home, as a substitute urging Biden to take govt motion.
The Senate this week overwhelmingly handed nationwide safety funding with out the border provisions, however Johnson once more signaled the invoice wouldn’t obtain a vote within the Home as a result of it lacked desired border provisions.
Biden, in remarks from the White Home on Tuesday, pleaded with the Home to place the laws up for a vote, arguing it might probably obtain bipartisan help. Opposing the laws, Biden stated, “is enjoying into Putin’s fingers.”
Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates steered in a press release Thursday that Johnson is likely to be “feeling warmth and greedy for an escape hatch” within the wake of a Democratic victory in a particular Home election in New York and after some members stated the nationwide safety supplemental would move if it had been put up for a vote.
“The reply is to cease politicizing American nationwide safety; to cease placing Vladimir Putin and Tehran over NATO, Ukraine, and our pursuits within the Indo-Pacific,” Bates stated. “Whereas politics could make the Speaker really feel compelled to facet with dictators, that is nonetheless a democracy and he owes the nation a clear vote.”
Up to date at 6:01 p.m.
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