US President Joe Biden walks to Marine One at the White House on February 9, 2024
US President Joe Biden walks to Marine One at the White House on February 9, 2024. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Biden has been urging GOP House members to pass the bill and called out Congress for going on a two-week break
  • Johnson's spokesperson said they welcome Biden's "reversal" as a one-on-one meeting was "long overdue"
  • Senate Majority Leader Schumer also demanded that the bill be passed by the House following Alexei Navalny's death

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he is willing to meet Speaker Mike Johnson amid his administration's push for a bipartisan foreign aid bill that the House Speaker previously said might be "dead on arrival" when it reaches the GOP-led House of Representatives.

"Sure I'd be happy to meet with him, if he has anything to say," the Democratic president told reporters as he returned to the White House Monday following a weekend in Delaware.

Biden and other senators have been calling on House Republicans to pass the foreign aid package after Senate passed the proposed legislation.

Raj Shah, Johnson's spokesperson, said Monday that the House Speaker has requested to meet the president "for weeks" for a one-on-one talk over the $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes a total of $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine amid Russia's continuing aggression.

"We welcome the President's reversal and openness to meeting with Speaker Johnson about the best path forward for securing the nation. It's long overdue," Shah wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Ahead of last week's Senate vote for the bill, Johnson threatened to pull the plug on the bill and instead push for a stand-alone funding package for Israel only.

On Sunday, Biden slammed House lawmakers for going on a break until Feb. 27 despite pressing issues. "It's time they step up, don't you think? Instead of going on a two-week vacation? Two weeks. They're walking away. Two weeks. What are they thinking? And it's just reinforcing all the concern about the United States being a reliable ally," he argued.

Biden isn't the only one concerned about House GOP's resistance. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Sunday urged for the foreign aid package to be passed in the wake of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's sudden death in an Arctic prison.

"The death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison rings an urgent alarm bell that demands the House pass the Senate-passed bipartisan national security bill," he said.

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