House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged President Joe Biden to take executive action to secure the southern border during a Wednesday phone call as government spending negotiations drag on.

Johnson reiterated points he made in a letter he sent to the president last month to reinstate previous asylum policies such as the Trump-era Remain in Mexico program. The conversation was the first since Johnson sent that request to the White House, and it comes as talks continue in the Senate to finalize a deal that implements border policy changes while also approving additional military aid to Ukraine.