Happy Valentine's Day, Speaker Mike Johnson!
At a House GOP leadership news conference, Mr. Johnson said that he wants to show Valentine's Day love for the American people by securing America’s borders before ponying up another $100 billion in foreign aid to other countries.
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: "The American people are not feeling very loved right now. // It's time for Washington to start showing some love to Americans. On Valentine's Day this is a good day to point this out. We need to listen to the American people and their needs and take action."
And if that weren't spectacular enough, here's Speaker Johnson on the Senate bill:
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: "Let me be clear here again this morning, the Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill that was opposed by most Republican senators and does nothing to secure our own border."
This is spot on. This is love. This is Valentine's Day love. But this is also very good policy. And Speaker Johnson went on to say that he's been requesting a meeting with President Biden for a month, but Biden won't give him a meeting.
The Speaker wants to talk about the border and national security, and I believe he also wants to talk about Joe Biden's federal budget that has become a fiscal fiasco, according to the latest CBO baseline estimates.
This is where government debt held by the public is estimated to rise to $48 trillion, or 116% of GDP.
CONGRESS FACES ‘EXISTENTIAL MOMENT' OVER $95 BILLION FOREIGN AID BILL: DEM REPRESENTATIVE
And with all this new Biden spending, even the inflation rate that was creeping down is beginning to creep higher again.
Along with interest rates, including mortgage rates.
On this fiscal point, here’s former Speaker Newt Gingrich writing for Fox News:
"The Senate's contempt for America is on full display once again. Twenty-two Republican senators appear clueless about American's fears when it comes to our ballooning national debt."
Newt's key point is that the Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid package with zero offsets to pay for it. No one wants to talk about spending offsets. That is, if you spend a buck here, you have to erase a buck over there.
Newt cites a poll that shows voters prefer Republicans by 50% to 34% over Democrats -- so long as Republicans insist on spending offsets. But in this case the GOP Senators who voted for the foreign aid bill never even discussed offsets.
Back to Speaker Mike Johnson…
He's talking about focusing on appropriation bills in the normal course of regular budget order – rather than diving into another massive unpaid-for foreign aid bill. And I want to add, from my perspective, that any of these Ukraine funding bills should insist on some sort of diplomatic offramp mandate by Congress.
The idea that because America doesn't like Vladmir Putin means we should never talk to the Russian autocrat or, as former President Trump suggests, attempt to negotiate a ceasefire or even peace – is nonsense. Back in the day, Ronald Reagan, whose stated policy was to destroy Soviet communism (and he did), along the way negotiated with Gorbachav.
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Not out of love, but as a tactic to nail down the Soviet coffin. Trump wants to talk to Putin, and other dictators, as a negotiator on behalf of America First. And he's right. And, finally, back to Speaker Mike Johnson.
He intends to close the border and restore the Trump border security provisions with H.R.2 that Biden destroyed when taking office. Biden's actions have led to an illegal immigration catastrophe. Mr. Johnson wants to protect America's border security first. Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Speaker!
