Mike Johnson dodges a question about whether the border wall will definitely be included in the funding deal

House Speaker Mike Johnson would not categorically say Wednesday whether border wall funding will be included in the final immigration security deal Congress is currently negotiating.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been work on a deal that would provide aid to both Israel and Ukraine, as well as funding for a border security package, as part of a larger government funding deal to be decided on Jan. 19. Johnson appeared on the Hugh Hewitt radio show to discuss the details of the deal, but would not definitively confirm whether a border wall will be included in the package, even after being asked several times.

“Will there be a wall in the immigration deal that includes funding for Israel and Ukraine?” Hewitt asked Johnson during an interview Wednesday.

“Well, that's a great question. But it's really about more than the wall,” Johnson replied, noting that the House had passed the Secure the Border bill (HR 2) in May , which has not yet been approved by the Senate. “It's been sitting on Chuck Schumer's desk for so many months gathering dust. Right now, there's a negotiation going on in the Senate, and it's between the White House and the Senate on some kind of proposal, I guess, to resolve this. But still we have to see the text.And I'll just say I'm cautiously optimistic, Hugh.

“Well, let me repeat myself, but very specifically. I'm looking for one thing and one thing only,” Hewitt said. “Is that kind of language, that kind of guarantee of 900 miles of wall, going to be in this bill or are you not going to support it?”

Johnson responded that he and his colleagues are “vigorously fighting for this” before outlining other border security measures policies which could prevent the worsening of the migration crisis at the border. Hewitt then asked if he had told the Democratic-controlled Senate whether including a wall in the deal would be a deal-breaker.

“I've communicated that directly. I said all the elements of HR 2, the functional equivalent, and the wall is a big part of that, of course, with these other policy changes,” Johnson said. “And that's what we're working to do.”

“I just think that the base will abandon you, and we will lose the majorities if we don't get the wall. They have to give us the wall,” Hewitt replied.

Under the current continuing resolution, federal funding for many government agencies will run out on Jan. 19, and funding for the military and other programs will run out on Feb. 2, unless both houses of Congress can agree on a agreement before these dates. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer came to one agreement for a deal on Sunday and now have less than two weeks to finalize details, including whether a border wall will be included.

Johnson's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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