Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson and the delegation he is leading have travelled to Texas to assess the migration crisis, The Washington Post reports. During the trip, the speaker made it clear that any assistance to Ukraine was out of the question until Biden solves the migrant problem. The president, in turn, again refused to compromise, saying he would not solve the problem at the border until Republicans gave him money.
On Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson travelled with more than 60 Republicans to the border town of Eagle Pass, where the number of illegal migrants has recently reached a record high. According to The Washington Post, the trip resulted in another demand by Republicans to tighten immigration policy in exchange for supporting Biden’s request for a funding package for Ukraine.
The speaker once again said he was “firmly committed” to the House Republicans’ policy of refusing to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel until the president addresses the border crisis. At the press conference, Johnson suggested he might use the impending government shutdown as additional leverage to persuade Biden.
However, the US president also appears to remain firm in his decision and is not going to compromise, according to the publication. While the Republicans visited the border, Joe Biden spoke to journalists: the President put the blame for the inability to solve the border crisis and help Ukraine on the Republicans. “Let them (Republicans. – Inotv) give me money!”, – so the president justified his refusal to engage in border security.
As WP notes, the Republicans’ trip to Eagle Pass came at a time when the Senate is engaged in “delicate negotiations” in hopes of striking a deal on border policy that could secure congressional approval of a $110 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel. Many senators have expressed concern that the longer the negotiations drag on, the longer “Ukraine’s defence remains in limbo without guaranteed US support.” In late December, the Pentagon announced that the next aid package for Ukraine could be the last if Congress does not approve Biden’s funding request.