Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are at odds over spending, as Sen. McConnell apparently told Speaker Johnson to pass the Ukraine spending immediately, regardless of American border security concerns. Sen. McConnell has also apparently requested Democrats in the House pass the Ukraine spending package in a separate vote, a request that was denied. The demands came before McConnell announced his planned retirement.
News on that came from Punchbowl News founder and reporter Jake Sherman, who announced that much of the DC Establishment is arrayed against Speaker Johnson. Particularly Sen. McConnell is demanding Johnson pass the Ukraine funding instead of focusing on border security, something that Speaker Johnson has so far refused.
Posting about the situation on X, Sherman wrote, “🚨🌙 INSIDE THE BIG FOUR’S OVAL OFFICE MEETING: THE WORLD VS. MIKE JOHNSON. MCCONNELL told JOHNSON that the Senate’s foreign aid bill is the only game in town, time is of the essence. Johnson talked about the border, but McConnell told him to put the border aside and focus on the supp. MCCONNELL then asked JEFFRIES if the House could break the bill up and pass it. Jeffries said no. FUNDING: Johnson said “we’ll work hour by hour,” resisting calls for immediate CR passage.”
Federalist Editor Mollie Hemingway, commenting on the situation, called out McConnell for his insane focus on Ukraine funding even at the expense of America’s border security. She said, “McConnell told Johnson to stop talking about the border and focus only on Ukraine funding. Horrific lack of leadership or concern for America in Senate GOP.”
McConnell, speaking about the matter on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 27, said, “What I hope is that the House will take up the Senate bill and let the House work its way. If they change it and send it back here, we have further delays.”
Continuing, he added, “We don’t want the Russians to win in Ukraine. So, we have a time problem here. And I think the best way to move quickly and get the bill to the president would be for the House to take up the Senate bill and pass it.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking about the meeting between him, Jeffries, Biden, Kamala Harris, McConnell, and Johnson, said, “The meeting on Ukraine was one of the most intense I’ve ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office.” He added that the five in favor of Ukraine spending ganged up on Johnson, saying that they “made it so clear how vital this was to the United States.”
He added, “This was so so important, and that we couldn’t afford to wait a month, or two months, or three months, because we would more [than] likely… lose the war.” Continuing, he said, “And so we said to the speaker, ‘Get it done.’ I told him this is one of the moments, I said, ‘I’ve been around here a long time. It’s maybe four or five times that history is looking over your shoulder, and if you don’t do the right thing, whatever the immediate politics are, you will regret it.’ I told him two years from now and every year after that because, really, it’s in his hands. It’s in his hands.”
Watch Schumer discuss the meeting here:
"*" indicates required fields