(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made a bold statement today as he defended his decision to tie Ukrainian aid with funding for the U.S. southern border.
His remarks came as a direct rebuttal to the Senate’s push for a broader global aid package, which includes support for countries like Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine.
In an interview with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Johnson expressed his firm opposition to what he deemed as the negligence of domestic concerns.
“We have to take care of our own house first,” Johnson asserted, directly responding to Senate Democrats’ claims that the GOP is leveraging international crises to secure border security funding.
“What this is about is advancing the agenda and the first priority is the American people,” he said, before lambasting his political opponents.
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents recognize we have a crisis at the southern border.
We have a real opportunity to substantively enhance border security and restore enforcement of the law, and House Republicans won’t let this moment pass. pic.twitter.com/eEEYbnJVXA
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 5, 2023
“They’re clearly not listening to their constituents,” Johnson added, highlighting the sentiments he encountered during his interactions with the American people. “If you go out into the country, people will say, ‘We understand our role as leader in the free world, we understand we’re the great superpower that needs to assist and ensure freedom survives,’ but we have to take care of our own house first and securing our border is an essential priority to American people.”
While acknowledging his support for Ukraine and expressing his concerns about the ongoing conflict with Russia, Johnson underscored the necessity of addressing domestic challenges.
“When you couple Ukraine and the border, that makes sense to people, because they say, ‘If we’re going to protect Ukraine’s border […] we have to take care of our own border first.’ And that’s what we’re saying.”
The speaker stressed the urgency of implementing policy changes to safeguard national interests, particularly as millions continue to illegally enter the U.S. through the southern border. “There’s a growing consensus in the Congress, certainly among Republicans but also some across the aisle who recognize we have to change what is happening.”
