President Joe Biden is set to host congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss his request for billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel, allies in the Indo-Pacific and the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The meeting, as well as Biden’s direct involvement, could be seen as a notable development as the roughly $106 billion package hangs in limbo despite the administration’s urgent pleas for Congress to pass the funds. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden is set to host congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss his request for billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel, allies in the Indo-Pacific and the U.S.-Mexico border
  • The $106 billion package has been in limbo for months on Capitol Hill despite the administration’s urgent pleas for Congress to pass the funds 
  • Republicans – some of whom have taken a hard line on any additional U.S. aid to Ukraine – insisted any more assistance to Kyiv must be tied to significant policy changes at the border 
  • A group of bipartisan senators – with participation from Biden administration officials – have been trying to hammer out such a border deal that would unlock the full funding request for weeks 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting on Tuesday, telling reporters that Biden will host congressional leaders along with the top Republican and Democratic members of “key committees.” 

The full list of those attending has not been announced, but it's likely to include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. 

Biden made the supplemental funding request that includes billions of dollars for Ukraine as it fends off Russia’s invasion, Israel as it battles Hamas, the Indo-Pacific as China exerts its influence in the region and the U.S.-Mexico border amid a surge in migrants in October of last year. 

Republicans, some of whom have taken a hard line on any additional U.S. aid to Ukraine, insisted that any more assistance to Kyiv must be tied to significant policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and Biden administration officials have been trying for weeks to hammer out a border deal that would unlock the full funding request. 

Despite negotiators touting inroads in the new year, it is unclear if and when the Senate will reach a breakthrough deal that can pass the upper chamber. And if they do, the potential agreement likely faces a rocky path forward in the GOP-controlled House, where a bipartisan compromise on border policy might not go far enough for some Republicans. 

Asked if Wednesday’s meeting was a sign that an agreement on the border was close, Jean-Pierre emphasized the negotiations were “still ongoing” but were “headed in the right direction.” 

Biden himself has repeatedly warned about what he sees as the dire consequences if Congress does not sign off on the additional funding, particularly the money for Ukraine. The president called in Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself to make a direct appeal to lawmakers in Washington late last year. 

In December, the White House sent Ukraine what the White House says will be the last aid package from the U.S. without more funding approved by Congress. 

Biden has said he is willing to make significant compromises when it comes to the border in order to get the national security funding package across the finish line.