Johnson meets Biden at White House ahead of Israel, Ukraine funding request meeting

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday met President Biden at the White House, ahead of a meeting to begin talks on the president’s national security funding request for aid to Israel and Ukraine.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also attended the meeting, which comes a day after Johnson secured the gavel and just weeks ahead of a government funding deadline.

“Upon the Speaker’s election, we invited him today — it’s actually happening right now — to a bipartisan briefing with leadership and relevant committee chairs and ranking members … on the president’s supplemental national security, obviously, package,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters before the meeting was announced.

“The Speaker is here and he did join that briefing,” she added. Her comments came ahead of a White House official announcing Johnson met with Biden and Jeffries. 

Johnson on Wednesday won the Speakership, filling a nearly three-week-long vacancy in the House that paralyzed official business. No bills have been able to move through or pass the chamber since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted Oct. 4.

Johnson’s attendance came one day after he won the Speakership, filling a nearly three-week-long vacancy in the House that paralyzed official business. No bills have been able to move through or pass the chamber since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted Oct. 4.

Days later, a war broke out between Israel and Hamas, with the U.S. promising Israel additional aid for military and humanitarian assistance.

Biden announced last week that he would ask Congress to pass a roughly $100 billion emergency funding request that seeks $61 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel’s defense. Additionally, nearly $14 billion of that request is for personnel and operations at the U.S.-Mexico border, $10 billion for humanitarian aid and $2 billion for Indo-Pacific security assistance.

Up until Johnson’s election, the request was unable to advance in Congress due to the lack of a Speaker.

Jean-Pierre said the White House has seen bipartisan support for that supplemental package, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

“There is no reason we should not be able to move forward to get that done,” she said.

Congress is also facing a Nov. 17 deadline to fund the government, for which Johnson will also have to wrangle his fellow House Republicans to vote on a measure that would keep the government open.

The president did call Johnson on Wednesday afternoon to congratulate him on the election and express that he wants to work together to find common ground. 

When asked if that call was the first time the president spoke to Johnson, Jean-Pierre said that Johnson attended a congressional picnic at the White House and that he came to a Louisiana State University event where he got a shoutout from the president.

Biden on Wednesday released a statement calling on elected officials to “move swiftly” to address national security needs and avoid a shutdown in 22 days.

Johnson was a key player in former President Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s White House win, but the president said shortly after the Speaker election that he was not concerned about Johnson attempting to do the same in 2024.

The national security supplemental package is one of two that the White House has sent to Congress. The president has also requested a roughly $55 billion request for funding priorities like natural disaster relief, child care providers, discounted high-speed internet for low-income households and treatments and harm reduction to counter fentanyl.