Johnson Says House Will "Address" Ukraine But Border Is Priority

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has told reporters that he "bought up the border issue repeatedly," in a recently concluded White House meeting with President Biden and Congressional leaders. The meeting also included national security officials and CIA Director Bill Burns, likely to increase pressure on Johnson to move on Ukraine aid.

• Johnson said the meeting, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) described as "one of the most intense he's ever been a part of", was a "frank and honest discussion" and added that he briefly met President Biden alone.
• Schumer said: "We made it so clear that we can't have the shutdown... the Speaker did not reject that."
• Johnson said that it, "was clear that [the] House is actively pursuing options on Ukraine aid bill," but added "we must take care of America’s needs first," referring to the US-Mexico border.
• It is unclear if there is a viable route through Congress to secure the border. Democrats argue that Republicans, led by Johnson and former President Donald Trump, torpedoed a bipartisan border security deal in January to keep the political wedge issue live ahead of the general election. Biden will make this case again when he visits the border on Thursday.
• House Republicans argue that their border security package HR2, which passed the House in a bipartisan vote last summer, can be taken up by the Senate. Schumer says that bill is DOA in the upper chamber and President Biden has issued a veto threat on the bill.