Johnson demands ‘change’ on border before Ukraine aid OK
House Speaker Mike Johnson told the White House Tuesday that Republicans will not approve any additional aid for Ukraine until the Biden administration and other leading Democrats accept “transformative change” to US border policies.
Johnson (R-La.) issued a public letter in response to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, who told Congress Monday that “we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks” by the end of this year.
“There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment,” Young added. “We are out of money—and nearly out of time.”
In response, Johnson said Republicans had made their position clear since late October, when he met with White House officials following his election as speaker.
“I explained that supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws,” he went on, later adding: “What is happening at the border is nothing short of a catastrophe.”
The speaker also demanded that the White House provide lawmakers and the public “with answers to our repeated questions concerning: the Administration’s strategy to prevail in Ukraine; clearly defined and obtainable objectives; transparency and accountability for US taxpayer dollars invested there; and what specific resources are required to achieve victory and a sustainable peace.
“I reiterate that President Biden must satisfy Congressional oversight inquiries about the Administration’s failure thus far to present clearly defined objectives, and its failure to provide essential weapons on a timely basis,” Johnson said. “American taxpayers deserve a full accounting of how prior US military and humanitarian aid has been spent.”
Returning to the southern border, Johnson noted record levels of illegal immigration during Biden’s term of office, the subsequent strain on local resources, the influx of illegal drugs, and reports of widespread exploitation of migrants by human traffickers.
“The open US border is an unconscionable and unsustainable catastrophe, and we have a moral responsibility to insist this madness stops immediately,” the speaker concluded. “Rather than engaging with Congressional Republicans to discuss logical reforms, the Biden Administration has ignored reality, choosing instead to engage in political posturing.
“We stand ready and willing to work with the Administration on a robust border security package that protects the interests of the American people,” Johnson added. “It is well past time for the Administration to meaningfully engage with us.”
President Biden announced a sprawling supplemental funding request in October, which included $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $13.6 billion for the border, $14.3 billion for Israel, and more.
Republicans, led by Johnson, have insisted on passing separate bills providing aid to Israel and Ukraine, with the House approving the former measure last month.
However, the measure would be paid for through spending cuts, including to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act — a nonstarter for Democrats.
In a rare moment of unanimity, House and Senate Republicans appear to be giving full backing to Johnson’s approach.
“Dems want $106B—GOP wants a closed border. That’s the trade. But clueless Dems want to negotiate the border bill,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) tweeted Tuesday. “Not going to happen. Is an open border more important to Dems than Ukraine and Israel?”
Even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the staunchest defenders of Ukraine among Republicans, warned Democrats his colleagues would not get on board with the current bill.
“You’re really robust when it comes to Ukraine,” Graham said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. “But when it comes to our border, you’re playing a game of doing the least amount possible to pick 10 or 12 of us [Republicans] off. It ain’t happening … There will be no assistance to other nations who are deserving until we assist our own nation.”
“We’re united over here,” Graham added. “We’re divided on Ukraine, but I would say two-thirds of our conference would vote for a package — including Ukraine aid — if it had real border security … I know what real border security looks like … You’re making a choice, you’re putting your nation at risk, and the consequence of this is going to be devastating to the world.”
“I think there’s a misunderstanding on the part of Senator Schumer and some of our Democratic friends,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told NBC News. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx.) said, per NBC.
“This is not a traditional negotiation, where we expect to come up with a bipartisan compromise on the border. This is a price that has to be paid in order to get the supplemental.”
Democrats have reportedly sought to soften the immigration package Republicans are seeking, apparently driven by concerns that the prospects for a larger deal granting amnesty to certain illegal immigrants and those brought to the US illegally as children will suffer as a result.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make his plea to senators in a video call Tuesday afternoon.
Despite Johnson’s resistance to the $106 billion supplemental, he has expressed his support for additional aid to war-torn Ukraine.
“Of course, we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to march through Europe,” the speaker said last week. “And we understand the necessity of assisting there.”
Read the full article Here
