Speaker Johnson on Spending Deal: We Have to Govern and That’s What We’re Doing

For Immediate Release

Contact: Taylor Haulsee

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson joined Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum to discuss the topline spending agreement and his phone call with President Biden urging him to use his executive authority to stem the flow of the border crisis.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

Click here to watch to the Speaker’s full interview

On topline spending agreement:

“Look what I’ve told Ralph Norman and Chip Roy, who are my close friends, I’m also a conservative hardliner. That’s been my entire career in Congress and all my years as a legislator. Cutting spending – this is a big priority for us, the Republican Party. What we negotiated in this topline agreement for the appropriations going forward is an innovation.

“We’re trying to get back to 12 appropriations bills instead of ruling and governing by omnibus spending bills. We’ve done that. We achieved that at the end of last year, and now we have to get into the individual spending bills. So, what we did was, we negotiated a cut from some of the side deals that were previously determined. So, we are adding another $16 billion in cuts. We’re taking $10 billion out of the IRS slush fund, another $6.1 billion out of the COVID slush funds. These are big priorities for the Democrats. We’ve added that in.

“So, we’ve improved it. And what we’ve we’re doing now, Martha, is putting ourselves in a position to go argue for our priorities, our riders on the spending bills. That’s an important thing, you know, Chip and Ralph and others are frustrated. It doesn’t go far enough. I’m frustrated too, but remember we have a two-vote margin in only one chamber. Only in the house is where we have the majority. And so, we have to work with the numbers we have and get the best we can. And I’m telling these guys, and I’ll tell the American people, we’re going to work every single day to get the best possible outcome.

“We have to govern and that’s what we’re doing. What we achieved out of this, Martha, is the first cut in non-VA, non-defense spending in over 10 years. I mean, this is not the hail Mary pass that I’d like to, to throw to win the game. This is as we used to say in football, this is yard by yard, inch by inch, three yards in a cloud of dust. We have to play and advance the ball incrementally up the field. And that’s what this is. I wish it was a Hail Mary play, but it’s not. And so we’re going to move this forward.”

On phone call with President Biden:

“I did talk with him about that and you know, I’ve been public about it. I sent it to him in writing in a letter back in December or right before Christmas asking him, urging him to take the executive orders and, and executive authority he has to address this issue. We’re working on legislation, legislative fixes, but he has authority under existing law. And I reiterated that again today. I do believe that he understands the magnitude of the crisis or he’s beginning to, and I’m hopeful that all of us will be able to work together to solve this dilemma. It’s a catastrophe. That’s the right word.”

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