geoff: It was back to business
on capitol hill today.
New house speaker Mike Johnson
spent his first full day meeting
with the Australian prime
minister
and later
-- prime minister who is in
town, and later president Joe
, Biden.
That's as major tests of
Johnson's leadership await.
Congressional correspondent Lisa
Desjardins is here to walk us
through what's ahead.
So Lisa, speaker Johnson has
been on the job for one full
day.
He already faces a potential
government shutdown in just
three weeks paid what do we know
about what his speakership means
for the chances of avoiding a
government shutdown?
Lisa: There are early good signs
that can be avoided here.
As you said, Johnson did speak
with president Biden in person
at the white house.
We will talk a little bit more
about that later.
The relationships so far are
cordial.
Lawmakers are trying to build
relationships and so is he right
now.
Another big sign is that he
knows that a stopgap or
continuing resolution funding
bill might be needed and he sent
a memo out to Republicans, a
dear colleague letter yesterday.
I want to highlight one part of
the letter.
If stopgap funding is needed, he
wrote, I would propose a measure
that expires January 15 or April
15.
In other words, the new speaker
is getting behind the idea of a
temporary funding bill which is
not something that the rest of
his conference has always backed
by talking to Republicans today,
most of them do like this idea.
They are worried something worse
what happened, a giant omnibus
ill at the end of this year --
bill at the end of this year.
However, there are some still
not on board that idea.
If there is a shutdown issue, it
would be with that group of
people.
We will watch it closely.
Speaker Johnson is trying to get
past November 17.
Geoff: Let's talk more about
Johnson and his policy stances.
He is a staunch conservative and
it is striking that his election
as house speaker is being
celebrated by the people who
helped oust Kevin Mccarthy.
What more have you learned about
his background?
Lisa: That's right.
This is what conservatives love
about him.
He is hard right, a social
conservative.
He opposes abortion in almost
every case.
He opposes gay marriage.
He opposes gender affirming care
for kids.
Those are things conservatives
love but those are things that
those on the left are very
fearful of.
They think that that is
exclusive.
When you look at his issue,
where he is on guns, we wanted
to look at that in light of what
has happened in Maine.
It is a conservative stance that
he is well known for.
The NRA has backed him, donated
to him.
He has received thousands of
dollars in donations from the
NRA and other gun groups.
He has opposed universal
background checks and he has
also opposed things like
reauthorizing the violence
against women act.
That I want to talk about
specifically.
The reason he opposed that and
some other conservatives is
because it would have put more
restrictions on those who are
found guilty or accused of
domestic violence, put more
restrictions on the ability to
use and carry guns and that is
why speaker Johnson voted
against it so that is the kind
of thing that the right likes,
pro-second amendment, and the
left says is going too far.
Geoff: The upper chamber has
been working during what had
been this prolonged period of
house Republican dysfunction.
What is the latest with this
funding bill that links Ukraine
aid and aid for Israel?
>> Lets go through all of the
funding requests that are out
there.
They are all important and they
are very big.
This is what president Biden has
outlined.
$61 billion for Ukraine, for
helping Ukraine, as well as $14
billion for Israel.
$14 billion in addition for the
southern border, and then in a
separate request, this is new
from Laura yesterday, $56
billion for domestic needs and
that includes disasters,
fighting fentanyl, childcare,
some other things for all told,
it is $161 billion that the
president is requesting.
Talking to senators and senate
leaders, they are behind the
Ukraine and Israel money right
now.
They will keep those two things
together.
We will see some action as early
as in committee there.
Keeping that together, the
Ukraine money has a very
longshot and it will be
difficult in the house.
One other factor.
I want to talk about Jeffries.
How is he going to work with
this?
He was asked about what he knows
about Mr. Johnson and here's
what he said.
>> I found him to be a capable
adversary standpoint of the
authentically held positions
that he would articulate even
when there was strong
disagreement on our side of the
aisle.
But there were also
opportunities where we were able
to find common ground including
on criminal justice reform.
>> It is an interesting moment.
That bipartisan agreement on
criminal justice reform is an
exception.
Generally, speaker Johnson has
not worked with Mcgrath but
there is hope right now and also
concern.
He has been an election denier.
We have talked about that ended
think we will talk about that
more and it is a moment where
both sides are testing and
waiting to see what he is like
as an untested speaker.