House Speaker Mike Johnson, following a meeting with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders, aims to break the border security and military funding deadlock involving Ukraine and Israel. Dismissing the possibility of a comprehensive immigration bill before the meeting, Johnson stressed the urgency of addressing the border “catastrophe” immediately.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) hinted at plans to oust Johnson if he supports a deal providing funding to Ukraine. “I would introduce the motion to vacate myself,” Greene told Axios reporter Andrew Solender on Wednesday.
Despite resistance from Johnson and House conservatives, Senate Republicans plan to vote on legislation combining Ukraine and Israel funding with a border security plan. GOP leaders believe this could be a unique opportunity to secure significant border concessions from Democrats in a divided government.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge of garnering Democratic support in a unified government and sees the current situation as a chance for accomplishment. “This is a unique opportunity to accomplish something in divided government that wouldn’t be there under unified government,” McConnell said before the meeting with Biden.
Hard-line conservatives, like Greene, argue for withholding government funding until the border crisis is addressed. Despite bipartisan agreement on a two-part continuing resolution for $1.66 trillion in spending over the weekend to avert a government shutdown, Greene believes Republicans can exert their power to solve the border crisis by standing firm on funding issues.
“If Republicans had a spine, and if our conference stuck together, we have all the power that we need to solve the border crisis right now,” Greene asserted on Monday. “I think if we just refused to fund anything, and we stood our ground, we would come out winning that.”
