Mike Johnson considers negotiating directly with White House on border security

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is weighing the possibility of negotiating directly with the White House on border security as the issue gets tangled up with a fight over government funding and Ukraine.

On a private conference call with freshman members of the House Republican Conference on Thursday, Johnson floated the idea of negotiating directly with President Joe Biden instead of letting the Senate lead talks, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

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One of the sources said that while Johnson “is weighing it and considering” such conversations, the Senate, as of now, is still driving them and that nothing has changed.

Senate negotiators hope to unveil the framework for a border deal when lawmakers return to Washington next week.

Eric Gay/AP

While Johnson has made clear there will have to be “transformative” border security reforms for the House to pass Biden’s $100 billion supplemental request for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, other members have raised the stakes further, saying they won’t support funding the government unless border policy changes are passed.

“Shut down the border or shut down the government” has been the mantra from some of the most conservative members of Johnson’s conference.

Four appropriations bills are set to expire on Jan. 19, while the remaining eight will lapse on Feb. 2. Johnson has been engaged in talks over top-line spending levels, but with the time frame being so short, a government shutdown is a distinct possibility.

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On Friday, Johnson’s communications director, Raj Shah, circulated a memo blasting the White House for its handling of the border and attempt to blame Republicans for the border crisis.

Johnson has previously called for Biden to take executive action on the border apart from any legislative fix.