WATCH: Speaker Johnson Shuts Down Senate Foreign Aid Bill, Blasts Biden’s Mental Fitness
This morning, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave a fiery presser in which he shut down the Senate’s foreign aid bill that gives no funding to our nation’s border.
Watch here:
BREAKING – DEAD ON ARRIVAL: Speaker Mike Johnson kills Senate Foreign Aid Bill, says, It “does nothing to secure our own border,” says on Valentine’s Day, it’s time for Washington to start showing some love to the American people. WATCH pic.twitter.com/HgxECvk5ub
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) February 14, 2024
BREAKING: Speaker Johnson holds the line, shuts down the Senate foreign funding bill:
“The Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill that was opposed by most Senate Republicans. pic.twitter.com/g1iimurJF4
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 14, 2024
Johnson also took the opportunity to slam Biden over the Hur report’s findings about his mental fitness to remain in office.
Johnson claimed, “A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.”
Watch:
Speaker Mike Johnson: “A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.” pic.twitter.com/NzwXvU5ABW
— NRCC (@NRCC) February 14, 2024
The White House responded to Speaker Johnson with this “Happy Valentine’s Day” meme…
Happy Valentine’s Day, Speaker Johnson! pic.twitter.com/0NPB04W4YR
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 14, 2024
How tasteful.
On Tuesday morning, the Senate passed the $95 foreign funding bill, which would send assistance to Ukraine and Israel.
As soon as it passed the Senate, Speaker Johnson earned Joe Biden’s ire for essentially calling the bill dead on arrival in the House.
My statement on Senate’s failure to address the most critical aspect of national security supplemental legislation: pic.twitter.com/ENjJ0WzKsK
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 13, 2024
CNN reported:
The Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with assistance for Ukraine and Israel in a vote early Tuesday morning, setting up a showdown with the House as Speaker Mike Johnson has said he does not plan to bring the bill to the floor.
The foreign aid package includes billions of dollars to support Ukraine and for security assistance for Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine, among other priorities.
Related article How each member of the Senate voted on foreign aid package
The bill passed the Senate despite Johnson’s criticism of the legislation and former President Donald Trump signaling opposition to the bill by arguing the US should stop providing foreign aid unless it is in the form of a loan. The Senate vote was 70 to 29 with 22 Republicans voting in favor, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“History settles every account,” McConnell said in a statement following the vote. “And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
The bill includes $60 billion to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel, $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance and $4.8 billion to support regional partners in the Indo-Pacific region in addition to other policy provisions, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that he is not planning to put the package on the House floor, setting up a major clash between the two chambers.
“I certainly don’t,” Johnson said when asked if he plans to put the bill on the floor. “Right now, we’re dealing with the appropriations process, we have immediate deadlines upon us and that’s where the attention is in the House in this moment.”
President Joe Biden called on House Republicans to hold a vote on the bill in remarks from the White House, saying that a “minority of the most extreme voices in the House,” should not be permitted to block the bill.
The president issued a stark warning, cautioning that if lawmakers fail to act, Russian President Vladimir Putin, “won’t limit himself just to Ukraine, and the costs for America and our allies and partners are going to rise.”
Now, Johnson is demanding a one-on-one meeting with Biden over the bill.
Per The Washington Examiner:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is demanding to meet with President Joe Biden for a one-on-one, in-person discussion over the Ukraine and Israel foreign aid bill that is now before the House, placing the president in the hot seat if he wants to see the bill on his desk.
A source close to Johnson told NBC News that Johnson and his staff have repeatedly asked for meetings over the last two months after the speaker’s trip to the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas. However, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said on 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.”
Now that Johnson is asking for a meeting with Biden on the foreign aid bill, it places the ball in the president’s court to see whether he is willing to debate or make concessions on foreign spending.
What do you think?
Is Speaker Johnson doing the right thing here?
Let us know your thoughts!
