Speaker Johnson Asks Biden to Use Executive Power to Secure Border

House Speaker Mike Johnson "strongly encouraged" President Joe Biden Wednesday to use his executive authority to secure the country's southern border, his deputy communications director said.

A White House spokesperson confirmed that the leaders had spoken by phone.

Lawmakers on Sunday agreed on a $1.59 trillion spending deal, setting up a race for bitterly divided lawmakers to pass the bills that would appropriate the money before the government begins to shut down this month.

Since early last year, House and Senate appropriations committees had been unable to agree on the 12 annual bills needed to fund the government for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 because of disagreements over the total amount of money to be spent.