Following the ouster of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and failed bids for the gavel by Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Tom Emmers, GOP Rep. Mike Johnson managed to cobble together enough support to get nominated by the GOP for the Speaker’s chair and then get a majority of votes and become Speaker.
Johnson managed to win a unanimous vote from Republicans and the final tally was 220 votes for Johnson and 209 for Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who Democrats consistently backed through the process rather than working with “moderate” Republicans to put a RINO in charge.
New Speaker of the House Johnson announced, during his first remarks following his election, that he and the House would begin taking up the debt crisis “immediately” to avert a government shutdown but also start to wrangle the national debt under control. He said, “We know this is not going to be an easy task, and tough decisions will have to be made. But the consequences, if we don’t act now, are unbearable.”
His other key priority is sending aid to Israel, as he announced in his first speech, saying, “The first bill that I’ll bring to this floor in just a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel. We’re overdue in getting that done.”
He also said, in a statement released by his office, “It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House. Thank you to my colleagues, friends, staff, and family for the unmatched support throughout this process. It has been an arduous few weeks, and a reminder that the House is as complicated and diverse as the people we represent. The urgency of this moment demands bold, decisive action to restore trust, advance our legislative priorities, and demonstrate good governance.”
Continuing, he added, “Our House Republican Conference is united, and eager to work. As Speaker, I will ensure the House delivers results and inspires change for the American people. We will restore trust in this body. We will advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the harmful policies of the Biden Administration, and support our allies abroad. And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it. Let’s get back to work.”
The RNC, in a statement, encouraged Republicans to support Speaker Johnson as he and the House get to work, saying, “Congratulations to the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson! In eight months, the Republican House Majority passed bills to lower energy costs, secure the border, defend parents’ rights, improve public safety, and more.”
The brief statement continued, “When Republicans come together, we deliver results, and that’s what we need to showcase ahead of 2024. We delivered this Majority to bring solutions to the American people. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind Speaker Johnson and get back to work.”
Rep. Steve Scalise encouraged Republicans to support Johnson as well, saying, “I’ve known Mike since I was in the state house. He’s an incredibly hard worker, very passionate about this country. And we have a very similar approach to getting our country back on track and we’ve talked about some of those policies and some of the bills that are ready to move.” He added, “We got to get our country back on track. And Mike’s ready to go.”
Featured image credit: By Office of Representative Mike Johnson – Facebook, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139533870
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