- Biden will host congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday
- Joining him are Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
- Friday is the deadline to fund the US government, otherwise a shutdown is likely
President Joe Biden will finally sit down with congressional leaders on Tuesday, with the clock ticking toward a government shutdown and Ukraine financing at an impasse.
At a critical moment, with just four days to fund the government, Biden will appoint House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell receive at the White House.
Each party faces its own pressure: Biden wants the House to approve the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, which 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 victories in the federal budget.
President Joe Biden will host congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday – above Biden and Speaker Mike Johnson during the National Prayer Breakfast in February
Biden has repeatedly argued that financing Ukraine is a matter of national security, both at home and abroad. Privately, he has reassured allies that he is doing all he can, a message he delivered at a meeting with G7 leaders on Saturday.
His government is increasing the pressure.
“We’ve got to get that money out the door,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Fox News on Sunday.
However, Johnson has said that a standalone bill without addressing U.S. border security is unacceptable.
Lawmakers missed their self-imposed deadline of Sunday to release the budget text.
Schumer said in a letter to colleagues that “intense discussions” between the two parties continue, but he also blamed Republicans in the House of Representatives for the delay.
“While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give Members sufficient time to review the text, it is now clear that House Republicans need more time to get themselves in order,” he wrote .
The Senate Majority Leader just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Zelensky.
Johnson said Schumer’s letter was “counterproductive rhetoric” and that Democrats were imposing their own unrealistic demands.
“This is no 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 quickly 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 it expires partially on March 1 for agencies like Transportation and Veterans Affairs, and fully on March 8, including agencies like the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and State Department .
In the middle of it all, Biden will deliver his State of the Union address at the Capitol on March 7.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer traveled to Ukraine this weekend to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky
Speaker Mike Johnson (above) faces the threat of the same insurrection that ousted Kevin McCarthy
Senators return to Washington DC on Monday evening, but the House of Representatives won’t be back until Wednesday, meaning time is short to reach an agreement.
Conservatives in the House of Representatives remain angry about January’s funding bill, and Johnson, along with Schumer, plan to bring spending totals to nearly $1.66 trillion.
For the next round of funding, they want across-the-board cuts in government spending and conservative policy conditions on how federal money can be spent.
But any conservative demands will have to be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate and signed by President Biden.
Johnson became chairman after the Conservatives ousted Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year. But now the question remains whether Johnson will face a similar threat.