Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich encouraged House Republicans to “stand firm” in negotiations with GOP senators by refusing to give aid to Ukraine until additional security measures are established for the southern border.
“I hope the House Republicans stand firm and tell the Senate Republicans, ‘We want a real border bill or nothing, and we’re not going to pass the aid to Ukraine without taking care of the American border,’” Gingrich said Wednesday on the Cats & Cosby show on WABC Radio.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden gathered House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other congressional leaders to try to compromise on a deal for Ukraine funding and border security, while hard-line Republicans are adamantly against sending money to the embattled eastern European country.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said a Senate floor vote could be held next week after a monthslong stalemate over border policies with House leaders, and the chamber could finalize its bill in the coming days.
Following the meeting at the White House, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), emphasizing there was a bipartisan agreement that helping Ukraine is essential.
“There was tremendous focus on Ukraine and an understanding that if we don’t come to Ukraine’s aid, the consequences for America around the globe would be nothing short of devastating,” Schumer said.
The Senate majority leader said he is optimistic lawmakers can agree on a package that includes funding for Israel, the Indo-Pacific region, and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
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Gingrich said that while he is in favor of stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin nearly two years into the war, he is alarmed by the “total dishonesty” of Biden’s handling of the southern border.
“The American border is at least as important to Americans as the Ukrainian border,” he said. “And I’m very much in favor of stopping Putin, but I’m also really, really alarmed at the sheer numbers that Biden has brought into this country and the total dishonesty of their program.”