Mike Johnson has been actively trying for the past two months to secure a meeting with President Biden via senior White House officials.
He's focused on achieving a consensus between the executive branch and Congress before moving forward with the funding initiatives for Ukraine and Israel.
This effort, as reported by NBC, includes a request made shortly before the Senate passed a $95 billion national security package.
Johnson's aim is more about defining a comprehensive strategy for the aid rather than nitpicking over the specifics of the Senate's proposal.
Responses From the White House and Democrats
The White House has offered some criticism of Johnson's tactics, suggesting he end the "negotiations he is having with himself" and place national security above political maneuvering.
Less than a month ago, Biden and Johnson, along with other leaders from Congress, had a discussion about an immigration agreement that could also lead to support for Ukraine. At that time, Johnson described the meeting as "productive."
The Future of Legislative Support
The Senate's proposed package allocates $61 billion to assist Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, provides $14 billion to Israel, and dedicates an additional $4.83 billion to support allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, as a measure against Chinese aggression.
Whether House Republicans will support the bill, which has already been passed by the Senate, is still uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson has criticized the bill.
