Speaker Johnson warns Senate against border deal, suggesting it will be 'dead on arrival' in House

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson took a strong stand Friday against a bipartisan Senate deal to pair border enforcement measures with Ukraine aid, sending a letter to colleagues that aligns him with hardline conservatives determined to sink the compromise on border and immigration policy.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said that the legislation would have been “dead on arrival in the House” if leaked reports about the legislation were true. While a core group of senators negotiating the deal have not yet released text of the bill, it has already come under fire from Republicans, including Donald Trump, the likely presidential nominee, who eviscerated the deal this week as a political “gift” to Democrats.

Johnson in the letter said, “Rather than accept accountability, President Biden is now trying to blame Congress for what HE himself intentionally created.”

The message added to the headwinds facing the border and Ukraine deal, closing a week in which Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged to his colleagues that the legislation faced tough opposition from Trump that could force them to pursue Ukraine aid another way. He later clarified that he was still supportive of pairing border measures with Ukraine aid — an arrangement that Senate Republicans initially demanded to gain their votes for funding Ukraine's war.