President Joe Biden will finally sit down with congressional leaders on Tuesday as the clock ticks toward a government shutdown and funding for the Ukraine remains at an impasse.
Biden will host House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at the White House at a critical juncture, with only four days to fund the government.
Each side faces its own pressure: Biden wants the House to pass the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel that the Senate passed 70-29 earlier this month.
And Johnson is under double pressure from his right flank, which opposes sending more money to Ukraine and also wants to see conservative wins in the federal budget.
President Joe Biden will host congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday – above Biden and Speaker Mike Johnson at the National Prayer Breakfast in February
Biden has repeatedly argued that funding for Ukraine is a matter of national security both at home and abroad. Privately he has been reassuring allies he is doing everything he can, a message he gave Saturday in a meeting with G7 leaders.
His administration is putting the pressure on.
‘We’ve got to get that money out the door,’ National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Fox News Sunday.
Johnson, however, has said a standalone bill, without addressing US border security, is unacceptable.
Lawmakers missed their self-imposed Sunday deadline to release the budget text.
Schumer, in a letter to colleagues said ‘intense discussions’ continue between both sides but he also blamed House Republicans for the delay.
‘While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out,’ he wrote.
The Senate Majority leader just returned from a trip to the Ukraine where he met with President Zelensky.
Johnson said Schumer’s letter was ‘counterproductive rhetoric’ and said Democrats were pushing their own unrealistic demands.
‘This is not a time for petty politics,’ Johnson said in a statement. ‘House Republicans will continue to work in good faith and hope to reach an outcome as soon as possible, even as we continue to insist that our own border security must be addressed immediately.’
Lawmakers passed a short term funding package in January but that expires partially on March 1, for agencies like Transportation and Veterans Affairs, and fully on March 8, which includes agencies such as the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
Amid all of this, Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address in the Capitol on March 7.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer traveled to Ukraine over the weekend and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky
Speaker Mike Johnson (above) faces the threat of the same revolt that ousted Kevin McCarthy
Senators return to Washington D.C. on Monday evening, but the House won’t be back until Wednesday, meaning time is short to come to an agreement.
Conservatives in the House remain angry over the January funding bill and Johnson’s with Schumer to set spending close to $1.66 trillion overall.
For the next round of funding they want overall cuts to government spending and conservative policy conditions on how federal money could be spent.
But any conservative demands will need to be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate and signed by President Biden.
Johnson became speaker after conservatives ousted Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year. But now there remains the question of whether Johnson will face a similar threat.