Speaker Johnson To Meet White House Officials To Discuss Supplementals

Roll Call has reported that, "House committee leaders and [House] Speaker [Mike] Johnson [R-LA] are meeting with White House officials today to discuss Biden’s supplemental proposal."

• Congress is facing two White House supplemental funding requests: A USD$106 billion national security package which includes funds for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the US-Mexico border. And a USD$56 billion package for “critical domestic needs,” including social programs and disaster relief.
• How Johnson will approach the supplemental requests is one of the primary questions for the remaining period of the 118th Congress.
• Johnson's voting record has seen him track closely with the conservative bloc of the House Republican Conference. NBC notes he voted against establishing a Jan. 6 independent commission, the infrastructure law, reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, new gun laws, and the CHIPS and Science Act.
• He voted in favour of the Biden-McCarthy debt limit deal, along with most conservatives, but voted against McCarthy's Continuing Resolution last month.
• Responsible Statecraft notes: "While sending more aid to Ukraine has proven a key sticking point among Republicans in a series of Congressional debates in recent months, Johnson has not been outspoken on either side of the issue."
• Johnson will be under considerable pressure from the White House and the Senate to move the national security package. However, tacit approval of Ukraine aid risk alienating the conservative faction and a return to the dynamics which led to the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).