White House hounds Johnson for recessing House without Ukraine deal

The White House heartily criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Republican lawmakers Thursday for leaving town without authorizing additional security aid for Ukraine.

President Joe Biden and top administration officials have pressed the need to pass a supplemental funding request before the end of the year to continue supplying uninterrupted aid to Ukraine. Republicans in both the House and Senate had linked the package, which included funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, to policy changes at the border.

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Johnson, however, is declining to keep legislators in Washington, D.C., for the holidays, as requested by Democrats while senators negotiate a deal on Ukraine and immigration policy.

Unlike House Republicans, Senate Democrats plan to leave town this weekend but return to Washington on Monday despite the previously scheduled recess. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly broke the news to the Democratic conference during a meeting Thursday morning.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre specifically scolded Republicans during Thursday’s press briefing for “leaving this week to go, you know, enjoy a nice holiday.”

“What happened to the funding to Ukraine? You just asked me about Ukraine, they haven’t been able to get that done,” she responded when faced with a question about Republicans’ open impeachment inquiry into Biden. “They haven’t been able to fix, help us fix what’s going on at the border. They haven’t been able to get that done.”

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates additionally sent a follow-up memo about Jean-Pierre’s words Thursday afternoon, claiming that Republicans are prioritizing a “three-week vacation” over “securing our southern border,” sending aid to Ukraine and Israel, and standing up to Russia, Iran, and China.

“Yet again, apparently congressional Republicans consider these secondary priorities to going on a three-week vacation,” the memo said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington this past week meeting with both Biden and lawmakers on the Hill. He reportedly told Johnson that Ukraine could wait another month or two, as long as Congress appropriates additional security aid.

Asked about the apparent “disconnect” Thursday, Jean-Pierre reiterated Biden’s wish to move aid “by the end of the year.”

“How much of the funding is left — I talked about it being about a billion dollars left,” she stated. “We are in a place where if we don’t get that supplemental, we will not be able to help Ukraine in the way that we have for almost two years as they are defending their country, defending their democracy, defending against Putin’s aggression.”

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You can watch Thursday’s briefing in full below.