Lawmakers Express Optimism After Meeting With Biden on Ukraine, Budget

President Joe Biden met with congressional leaders on Tuesday to find common ground on reaching an agreement on Ukraine aid and avoiding a partial government shutdown. 

The Details: Biden and Democratic leaders attempted to persuade House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to agree to fund Ukraine, and Johnson reiterated his desire to address immigration along the U.S. border with Mexico before considering foreign aid. Pressure is growing to support Ukraine as it reportedly loses ground on the battlefield and is forced to ration ammunition and supplies. After the meeting, reports from multiple sources said lawmakers expressed cautious optimism that a government shutdown would be avoided. 

Key Quotes: Following the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) placed responsibility for aiding Ukraine squarely on Johnson, stating, “It’s in his hands.” Schumer appeared to imply that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also pressured Johnson on Ukraine. On the budget, McConnell told reporters, “We are making some real headway on the appropriations process.”

How The Media Covered It: Coverage focused on a range of angles surrounding the meeting. Some headlines included phrases like “once again,” emphasizing that Congress had come close to a shutdown many times before. While a CNN (Lean Left bias) homepage headline said Johnson “holds the fate of a nation’s democracy in his hands,” Fox News (Right bias) appeared not to cover the meeting on its website. Some coverage appeared contradictory; while CBS News (Lean Left bias) said lawmakers saw a “path forward,” The New York Times (Lean Left bias) said there were “no breakthroughs.” This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.