Greetings, briefings and clashes over foreign aid

WASHINGTON – Inside the White House Situation Room, new House Speaker Mike Johnson made transparent to Biden management officers his calls for when it got here to foreign help: Aid to Israel for its war against Hamas would should be separated out from support for Ukraine, protecting itself from a Russian invasion now greater than 20 months lengthy.

Immediately, Johnson confronted pushback, in line with other folks with wisdom of the Oct. 26 briefing. Democratic lawmakers in attendance, in addition to nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan and White House price range director Shalanda Young — spelled out to Johnson their deep opposition to splitting up the aid, stated the folk, who had been granted anonymity to speak about a personal assembly.

Even some House Republicans within the room signaled they disagreed with the brand new speaker’s stance.

“He was listening to a degree, but he was also bringing forth many of the MAGA Republican viewpoints and not from a perspective of bringing Congress together to move us forward in a better direction,” stated Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., regarding former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” crusade slogan. Meeks attended the White House briefing.

That war of words, simply 24 hours after Johnson catapulted into the speakership, showed the Republican leader’s willingness to problem well-established White House expectancies and even defy individuals of his personal birthday party, each in public and in non-public. It additionally began to telegraph to the administration and congressional Democrats how he may govern.

Johnson’s early strikes have confounded management officers, specifically his technique on aid to Israel. Inside the White House, aides took specific realize of Johnson’s determination to insist that emergency foreign help be coupled with offsetting cuts — a step infrequently taken, if ever. On best on that, in a sharply partisan transfer, he selected to pay for aid the use of IRS sources intended to rein in tax cheats.

That legislation passed the House this previous week on a 226-196 vote, with 12 Democrats becoming a member of Republicans. Senior White House aides had furiously labored the telephones within the ultimate hours main as much as the vote, specifically with Jewish Democrats, outlining now not best President Joe Biden’s coverage objections to the invoice but additionally the political want to restrict Democratic defections, in line with other folks conversant in the management’s message.

Johnson used to be unapologetic.

“If Democrats in the Senate or the House or anyone else … want to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important than standing with Israel in this moment, I’m ready to have that debate,” Johnson, R-La., stated on the Capitol in his first formal news convention as speaker. “I did not attach that for political purposes, OK?”

Still, White House officers proceed to method him with a way of interest, in spite of their early skepticism. They even discovered some causes for encouragement, essentially Johnson’s strangely heat remarks in regards to the need to aid Ukraine, making an allowance for his previous votes opposing the investment.

Though Democrats consider Johnson is a more useful political foil than his predecessor as speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the White House itself has been cautious not to openly antagonize Johnson, intentionally deferring lots of the campaign-style assaults on his background and positions to the birthday party’s political committees.

During the drawn-out speakership spectacle, the White House have shyed away from any public involvement. Once Johnson used to be officially elected, management officers, like a lot of Washington and the political international, scrambled to be informed about Johnson, whose interactions with the White House all the way through the Biden presidency had been necessarily nonexistent.

That manner the White House’s get-to-know-you procedure is constant.

Jeff Zients, the White House leader of body of workers, and presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti spoke cordially with Johnson as Biden met with him for the primary time. When the White House invited Johnson to the Situation Room, officers made certain he knew he may convey a countrywide safety aide into the categorized consultation — a prerogative that he will get as speaker of the House.

Biden “wants to work in good faith with whoever they … chose to be speaker — it happens to be Speaker Johnson — and he wants to deliver for the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a while after Johnson’s elevation to the speakership. “That is something that the president has said himself over the last couple of weeks.”

A low-profile conservative who used to be first elected to Congress in 2016, Johnson, 51, had come into the post with scant political management enjoy and used to be by no means identified for bipartisan bona fides. That may now not be a starker distinction with Biden, 80, a decadeslong veteran of Washington who places a prime worth on non-public relationships and bipartisanship.

As Johnson started his fantastic upward thrust to the highest of the House Republican ranks, the White House additionally privately took be aware of his hard-right positions and his similarities, no less than in substance, to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the House Judiciary Committee chairman and one of the most management’s leader antagonists who’s main an impeachment inquiry into Biden.

Johnson had taken a proactive role in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to stay in workplace in spite of dropping to Democrat Biden in 2020, rallying different lawmakers to signal a letter of enhance for an unsuccessful case by means of a number of states to throw out some election effects. Before coming into politics, Johnson used to be a legal professional that specialize in constitutional problems.

When Johnson defined his rationale for his speaker candidacy ultimate month, he argued that “the president is clearly incapable of leading and the Senate is unwilling.” Even even though Johnson described his assembly with Biden as cordial, the speaker stated in a Fox News interview that he spotted a cognitive decline.

Biden has spoken little publicly about Johnson himself, however he has endured to make use of the House GOP’s speakership mess as he makes his case to stay in workplace and now not put Trump again within the White House.

“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy this democracy,” Biden stated at a fundraiser in Minneapolis this previous week. “And while the MAGA Republicans in the House have been fighting among themselves, struggling to elect a speaker, trying to shut down the government, sowing seeds of destruction at every turn, Kamala and I are always going to defend, protect, and fight for that democracy,” he said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Johnson’s allies say his direct demeanor will serve him well as a counterpoint to the administration.

“He’s a straight shooter, so he’s not going to play games with them. They’ll know what he’s thinking,” stated Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is aware of Johnson effectively and is likely one of the handful of GOP lawmakers who’ve labored carefully with the Biden White House. “Mike will have his eyes wide open. He’s not naïve.”

Other Republicans have said Johnson’s biggest strength is that he has yet to burn bridges with anyone on either side of the aisle. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said the same qualities that helped Johnson get elected speaker are what will help him negotiate with the president.

“It will be hard for me because I’m stubborn, you understand and I have rough edges,” Higgins said of Johnson’s contrasting and smoother style. “But Mike is such a, a kind and compassionate and polite gentleman.”

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Associated Press author Farnoush Amiri contributed to this file.