President Joe Biden hosted a bipartisan group of city leaders from around the country at the White House on Friday to mark the last day of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in Washington. 

Delivering remarks that included several jokes as well as praise of the importance of the mayoral office, Biden left almost no major issue out of his nearly 40-minute speech. The president touched on infrastructure, the environment, job growth, gun violence, mental health, homelessness, student debt, prescription drug prices and foreign policy, among others. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden hosted a bipartisan group of city leaders from around the country at the White House on Friday to mark the last day of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting in Washington
  • The president touched on infrastructure, the environment, job growth, gun violence, mental health, homelessness, student debt, prescription drug prices, foreign policy and more while delivering several jokes in his remarks 
  • On policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border, which has become the key to unlocking Biden’s request for billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific, the president said he believes we need “significant policy changes"
  • He noted he believes the Senate may come to an agreement on border policy changes next week and the onus of whether or not to act is now on House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

On policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border, which has become the key to unlocking Biden’s request for billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific, the president said he believes we need “significant policy changes at the border, including changes in our asylum system.”

“And I’m ready to act,” he said. 

A bipartisan group of senators, along with Biden administration officials, have spent weeks trying to work out a border deal that Republicans insist must include meaningful policy changes in order to get their support for additional Ukraine aid. Biden on Wednesday brought together congressional leaders at the White House to discuss the package. 

“I think next week we oughta be able to work out something — at least in the Senate,” Biden said on Friday. 

Earlier this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the upper chamber could see the package brought to the floor next week. But even if the Senate reaches an agreement, it likely faces a rocky path forward in the GOP-controlled House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has indicated a bipartisan compromise on border policy might not go far enough for some Republicans. 

“Now the question is for the speaker and House Republicans — are they ready to act as well? They have to choose whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing issues to score political points against the president,” Biden said. 

Stopping to briefly answer questions from reporters on his way out of the event, Biden said “No” when asked if the border was secure. 

After thanking mayors for attending on Friday, Biden opened his remarks noting that Congress passed another short-term funding patch to stave off a potential government shutdown on Friday. 

“Today we get some good news,” Biden said. “We just signed a bill to keep the government open.”

“Some days that counts as progress,” the president continued with a laugh. With the bill, Congress punted the next potential shutdown dates to March. 

At one point during his speech, Biden noted he has filled his administration with “so many former mayors.” 

“Mayors get the job done,” he declared. 

The president specifically pointed out his Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Biden noted Friday was Buttigieg’s birthday before encouraging the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday."

Several top Biden administration officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, delivered speeches at this year’s winter meeting for mayors, which ran from Wednesday to Friday.