Mike Johnson Sets Republicans Up to Compromise With Joe Biden

House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested on Tuesday that Republicans could compromise with U.S. President Joe Biden on a bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Heading into a meeting with Biden and other top U.S. leaders, Johnson was quoted saying to a reporter regarding a government shutdown, "No, we're going to work to prevent that."

Biden also spoke about working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle of his meeting with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying, "We got a lot of work to do, we gotta figure out how we're gonna figure out keep funding the government which is an important problem and an important solution we need to find and I think we can do that."

"I think Ukraine, the need is urgent I hope we can speak to that a little bit and I think the consequence of inaction everyday in Ukraine are dire," Biden added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, also attended the meeting.

The Context

On Tuesday, Biden met with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss a possible compromise on different legislation, such as government funding to avoid a shutdown and military aid to Ukraine and Israel.

A bill to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel previously passed in the Senate but Johnson initially expressed opposition to voting in favor of it in the House.

What We Know

Earlier this month, Biden called on Johnson to pass Ukraine aid saying, "I call on the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of the most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on...This is a critical act for the House to move."

As Biden noted on Tuesday, he is also seeking to discuss a government funding deal to help prevent a partial government shutdown in the coming days.

Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office via email for comment.

Views:

Schumer also previously called on Johnson to pass legislation to fund the government and Ukraine amid their war with Russia.

"Even a partial shutdown by extreme House Republicans would mean chaos and pain for the American people," Schumer wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

In another post, Schumer said, "If Speaker Johnson put the national security bill on the House floor, it would pass with strong bipartisan support. With this urgent aid package, Congress can help ensure Ukraine wins the war, ensure Putin is not victorious, ensure that democracy can thrive in the 21st century."

What's next:

Without a compromise met by members on both sides of the aisle, Congress will enter a partial shutdown.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell previously warned that a partial government shutdown could be "harmful" to the country.

Update, 2/27/24, 4:49 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.

Update, 2/27/24, 12:15 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.

Update, 2/27/24, 12:50 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.