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The high 4 congressional leaders left the White House on Tuesday after an “intense” sit-down with President Biden because the clock ticks all the way down to a doable partial government shutdown on the finish of this week.
The lawmakers — House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — affirmed that every one 4 had been dedicated to discovering some sort of deal on government funding by Friday however gave little perception into how they deliberate to take action.
The function of the meeting was to debate the upcoming federal spending deadlines on March 1 and March 8, in addition to the necessity to go support for Ukraine.
Schumer described the discussions on government funding as “productive and intense,” and stated he expressed {that a} short-term extension of fiscal yr 2023’s funding, often known as a seamless decision (CR), is likely to be wanted to purchase extra time to achieve a deal.
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From left to proper: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. (Getty Images)
Jeffries stated the meeting was “honest” and “candid,” and that it included “firm discussions about the border.”
Johnson, who met with Biden one-on-one after the primary meeting concluded, known as each conversations “frank and honest.”
“The speaker said unequivocally he wants to avoid a government shutdown,” Schumer stated after the meeting. “We made it clear that that means not letting any of the government appropriations bills lapse, which means you need some CRs to get that done. But, we’re making good progress, and we’re hopeful we can get this done really quickly.”
He stated that whereas variations stay, they don’t seem to be “insurmountable.”
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Johnson has not given any indication, nonetheless, that he would comply with put one other CR on the ground after having stated he was “done” with CRs in November.
A government shutdown might imply government places of work abruptly shut and dozens of federal workers being furloughed — if it lasts past the weekend.
“We have been working in good faith around the clock every single day, for months and weeks, and over the last several days, quite literally around the clock, to get that job done. We’re very optimistic,” Johnson stated after the White House meeting.
The high 4 congressional leaders met with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
“I hope that the other leaders came out here and told you the same. We believe that we can get to agreement on these issues and prevent a government shutdown. And that’s our first responsibility.”
The predominant stress within the meeting got here from discussions about sending support to Ukraine, Schumer later advised reporters.
“You could cut the intensity in that room with a knife,” he stated.
During the meeting, Johnson was cornered by the others within the room, together with McConnell, the one different Republican current, in accordance with Schumer.
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“The meeting, on Ukraine, was one of the most intense I have ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office,” he recalled. “The five of us, the president, the vice president, Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries and myself made it so clear how vital this was to the United States. This was so, so important, and that we couldn’t afford to wait a month, or two months, or three months, because we would in all likelihood lose the war, NATO would be fractured at best, allies would turn away from the United States.”
He added, “And so we said to the speaker, get it done.”
Speaker Johnson advised reporters that he needs to keep away from a shutdown. (Getty Images)
Schumer additionally steered Johnson maintained that border safety measures have to be levied in alternate for a House vote on Ukraine support, a place he is been below stress from his proper flank to stay to.
Echoing this, Johnson advised reporters he made the border disaster a predominant focus of his within the meeting.
“When I showed up today my purpose was to express what I believe is that obvious truth. And that is we must take care of America’s needs first. When you talk about America’s needs, you need to talk further about our open border,” Johnson stated.
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“There’s a logic to solving the border,” Schumer countered. “We want to solve it, but we have to do Ukraine right now, because there’s a way that can get done quickly, because that has broad, bipartisan consensus. And the border will take some more work, which we’ll be happy to work on to get it done — but not hold up the Ukraine bill for it.”
Senate and White House negotiators launched a bipartisan deal on border safety and international support, together with $60 billion for Ukraine earlier this yr, however the effort died within the face of overwhelming criticism from Republicans who believed the border measures had been insufficient.
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