House speaker gives lukewarm hope for secret Senate border security talks

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday did not commit to holding a vote on an expected agreement in the Senate to strengthen southern border security, saying it’s a “hypothetical question” while adding that Republicans “of course want a deal.”

The Louisiana Republican said he’s not been shared draft bill text but has spoken with senators involved in the negotiations, which have been centered on policy changes to things like asylum, immigration parole and reinvigorating expulsion authority to stem the record flow of illegal entries along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I think anyone with common sense would tell you that you cannot throw more money at a bad system,” Mr. Johnson said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” in a recorded interview from Eagle Pass, Texas, during a visit to the southern border last week by dozens of House Republicans.

“In a triage situation, you have to stop the flow first before you can commence with the surgery, and we’re hemorrhaging here,” he said.

December saw a record 300,000 illegal crossings along the southern border.

Any bipartisan deal reached by senators would be attached to a $110 billion national security package that includes aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

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Some conservative hardliners in the House have rejected the secret talks before a deal has been reached, going so far as to say they’re willing to shut down the government unless a stricter House border bill know as H.R. 2 that was passed last year gets a vote in the Senate. President Biden and Senate Democrats shot it down as a nonstarter.

Mr. Johnson tried to tamp down talks of a shutdown but reiterated that House Republicans will need strong border security concessions from Senate Democrats and the White House in order to consider the broader national security package.

“You’ve heard us say repeatedly, insisting upon the provisions of H.R. 2, which is our legislation that we passed more than seven months ago,” Mr. Johnson said. “If you only reform one of those five provisions, if you don’t end catch-and-release as a policy, if you don’t reinstitute remain-in-Mexico, if you only fix asylum or parole and not these other things, then you don’t solve the problem.”