Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he is “confident and optimistic” that Congress can push through supplemental funding for Israel and Ukraine — but he did not commit to tying the two together, saying Ukraine funding must be accompanied by border policy changes.
His comments come as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has pledged to bring a vote on the supplemental funding for Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region as soon as next week.
“We have some negotiations that are going on in earnest. In fact, I was on the flight before we landed texting back and forth with Senate colleagues and others who are working on the negotiation,” Johnson said during a Monday event in Florida when asked about the supplemental funding package.
The Speaker has long said, however, that Israel and Ukraine funding should be separated — and called on the Senate to take up a House-passed bill that tied aid to Israel with funding cuts to the IRS.
“Listen, Israel is a top priority for the United States, and supporting our ally there is critical. It’s one of the first things we did. … It’s been sitting on this in the Senate and on Chuck Schumer’s desk. And so we are encouraging him to get that done,” Johnson said.
Schumer has rejected the House-passed bill.
Johnson also expressed support for passing a Ukraine funding measure that includes changes to U.S. border policy.
“Ukraine is another priority. Of course, we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to march through Europe. And we understand the necessity of assisting there. What we’ve said is that if there is to be additional assistance to Ukraine — which most members of Congress believe is important — we have to also work on changing our own border policy,” Johnson said. “And so there’s been a lot of thoughtful negotiation ongoing with that. I think most of our Senate colleagues recognize that those two things need to move together because we owe that to the American people.”
Johnson indicated the rest of the details for a larger funding package are in flux.
“With regard to the rest of it, there’s some other items in the supplemental package — I think all that will come together in the coming days,” Johnson said.
“We have a sense of urgency about this, and there are deadlines on it as well. So, I’m confident and optimistic that we’ll be able to get that done,” Johnson said.