Biden Plays Hardball And Rejects Mike Johnson’s Meeting Request

The White House told Speaker Johnson to pass the Senate Ukraine aid bill, and that there is nothing to negotiate with the President.

Politico reported:

The White House has denied multiple requests from Speaker Mike Johnson to meet with President Joe Biden over border security, according to a person familiar with the requests.

…

But Biden and White House officials have repeatedly said they believe the House should take up the Senate-passed national security supplemental instead of meeting and renegotiating a new package.

…

“What is there to negotiate? Really, truly, what is the one-on-one negotiation about when he’s been presented with exactly what he’s asked for?” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “He’s negotiating with himself.”

It would be pointless for Biden to negotiate a deal with Johnson, because the Speaker of the House doesn’t keep his word and has no power to deliver the votes to get anything passed. Negotiating with Johnson would be a complete waste of time.

The White House is right. It isn’t the President that Johnson should be negotiating with. The Speaker needs to be able to pass legislation within his own majority.

Mike Johnson is trying to pull a stunt so that he can avoid responsibility for his role in killing both the border bill and the Ukraine aid bill.

President Biden is apparently not going to waste any more time negotiating with the Johnson. If the speaker wants to do something about these issues, the legislation is already in his hands.

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