Staff Reports
President Joe Biden tried to strong-arm House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican cronies on Friday to get on board with his big spending bill in a statement marking the two-year anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Biden also unveiled a fresh set of sanctions aimed at 500 Russian folks and groups connected to the war and the tragic death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whom Biden hailed as a “brave anti-corruption fighter.”
Biden says ‘history is watching’ on two-year anniversary of ‘Russia’s brutal assault’ on Ukraine https://t.co/BZPPC5s3PB https://t.co/BZPPC5s3PB
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 23, 2024
In his statement, Biden made a bold pitch for the bill, insisting it’s a must for giving Ukraine some emergency cash and pumping up America’s own defense industry. He bragged about how the bill easily got through the Senate and said it’s a no-brainer for the House to follow suit. The president warned that any Republican opposition to the bill would be a big fat gift to Putin, and he even threatened that history won’t forget those who don’t jump on board.
Biden has been going after not just Johnson but also Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, talking tough and trying to flex some muscle. He taunted Putin, saying the guy totally underestimated the strength of free nations and thought he could just roll right over Ukraine without anyone batting an eye. Biden even dissed the Russian leader as a “crazy SOB” during a recent campaign event in California.
The White House is really leaning hard on the Republicans to get with the program and back Biden’s bill, but it sounds like the showdown is far from over. The president is really talking the talk, but we’ll see if Johnson and the crew are ready to walk the walk and do what Biden wants.
