House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) held a press briefing on Wednesday where he spoke about Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.
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00:00 >> Morning everyone.
00:01 I've got a couple of things to share with you here.
00:03 Let's be clear about what happened last night.
00:06 The President of the United States threatened to veto
00:08 on the Israel funding package.
00:11 Chuck Schumer then said that he would put a blockade
00:14 up in the Senate and he had 166 House Democrats
00:18 who followed Leader Hakeem Jeffries off that cliff.
00:21 They took that lead and they blocked the funding.
00:25 Let's be clear about this.
00:27 That bill provided exactly the amount of funding
00:30 that the President himself had requested.
00:31 It was $14.3 billion that we passed many, you know,
00:35 three months ago and then we added to it
00:37 to replace our stockpiles and our munitions
00:40 on what's happening in that region.
00:42 There is no reason whatsoever for them to object
00:45 to the contents of that bill.
00:48 They're doing it for political purposes.
00:49 It's bad for national security.
00:51 It's also terrible policy and terrible politics.
00:54 The President of the United States has a 37% approval rating.
00:57 If they're going to follow that lead, I think they did it
00:59 to their detriment and it's a very shameful thing at a time
01:03 when our ally Israel needs the help desperately.
01:06 >> Mr. Speaker, will you allow it?
01:08 Does this put you in a bind though if they're able to move a bill
01:11 in the Senate that deals with both Ukraine and Israel here?
01:14 Because you just pushed for Israel.
01:16 You would have been skeptical of aid for Ukraine here.
01:18 Does that put you in a bind if they move something over there
01:20 and send it back to the House?
01:22 >> Look, we'll see what the Senate does.
01:23 We're allowing the process to play out
01:25 and we'll handle it as it is sent over.
01:27 I have made very clear that you have to address these issues
01:30 on their own merits.
01:32 And Israel desperately needs the assistance.
01:33 Everyone knows that.
01:34 Things have changed pretty dramatically since we passed
01:36 that first Israel package in the House three months ago.
01:39 Everyone knows the tensions have escalated
01:41 and we need to support it there.
01:43 So we'll address that.
01:44 We'll see what the Senate does.
01:45 We spend a lot of time on the House side awaiting the Senate's
01:48 action and it's frustrating sometimes,
01:50 but that's the way the process plays out.
01:51 >> On impeachment, I mean, what happened yesterday
01:55 with the vote on Secretary Mayorkas?
01:57 Why bring that to the floor if you didn't have the votes?
02:00 And will you hold another vote to impeach him?
02:03 >> Yeah, on impeachment, last night was a setback,
02:05 but democracy is messy.
02:06 We live in a time of divided government.
02:08 We have a razor thin margin here and every vote counts.
02:11 Sometimes when you're counting votes and people show
02:14 up when they're not expected to be in the building,
02:15 it changes the equation.
02:17 But listen, we have a duty and a responsibility
02:19 to take care of this issue.
02:21 We have to hold the Secretary of the Department
02:23 of Homeland Security accountable.
02:25 Mayorkas needs to be held accountable.
02:26 The Biden administration needs to be held accountable
02:28 and we will pass those articles of impeachment.
02:31 We'll do it on the next round.
02:32 >> Mr. Speaker, what would you say to Americans concerned
02:37 that Congress isn't able to do basic functions?
02:40 >> Well, it's simply not true.
02:41 We're governing here.
02:42 Sometimes it's messy.
02:44 The framers anticipated that you would have a system
02:46 where people with very different philosophical viewpoints
02:48 that come from different parts of the country
02:50 and different constituencies would have different ideas
02:52 on how to resolve their problems.
02:54 But what they also anticipated is that we'd be able to get
02:56 in a room and arm wrestle over public policy and come
02:59 to consensus to move the ball forward for the most people.
03:01 That is what's happening here.
03:02 You're seeing the messy sausage making,
03:05 the process of democracy play out.
03:07 And it's not always clean, it's not always pretty,
03:09 but the job will be done at the end of the day.
03:11 >> Some of your critics will say this shows your inexperience.
03:16 And Congressman Massey says getting rid
03:18 of Kevin McCarthy was an unmitigated disaster
03:21 for your party.
03:23 What do you say to that?
03:24 >> Well, look, it was a mess what happened here,
03:25 but we're cleaning it up.
03:27 And Massey's one of my dear friends and colleagues.
03:29 And I don't think that this is a reflection on the leader,
03:32 it's a reflection on the body itself and the place
03:34 where we've come in this country.
03:36 Look, the nation is divided.
03:38 We lament that, right?
03:39 The differences, the chasm
03:41 between the two parties right now is wider
03:43 than it's ever been.
03:45 And there are lots of emotions.
03:46 And we live in the age of social media and 24-hour news cycle.
03:50 You know, there were previous Congresses where a gaggle
03:52 like this would not even have been possible.
03:54 So we're in a different time.
03:56 But what we need to do in a time like this,
03:58 in a time of great challenge, is lead on principle.
04:00 And that's what we're doing.
04:02 Again, the process is messy sometimes,
04:04 but the job will be done.
04:05 And we're going to govern this country.
04:06 It's the greatest country in the history of the world.
04:08 The entire world is counting upon us.
04:11 We have steady hands at the wheel.
04:12 We'll get through it.
04:13 Everybody take a deep breath.
04:15 It's a long game.