Republican Mike Johnson survived a razor-thin vote to stay Home Speaker in a drama-filled, extremely anticipated vote that marked the beginning of full Republican management in Washington.
Johnson may solely afford to lose two votes due to the tight margin of management Republicans have in Congress. Whereas he got here near dropping re-election, he survived the vote after some lobbying.
President-elect Donald Trump beforehand endorsed Johnson for the position of Home speaker, saying “a win for Mike as we speak will likely be an enormous win for the Republican Get together”.
The Home Speaker is among the strongest posts in Washington, controlling the decrease chamber of the US Congress, and second in line to the presidency after the vice chairman.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was backed by almost all Republicans in his bid for re-election.
However that success was not with out some controversary.
The vote for Speaker requires a candidate to obtain the help of a majority of the Home – 218 votes. However due to a razor-thin Republican majority within the Home, Johnson may solely stand to face opposition from two Republicans.
Johnson already confronted one arduous “no” from Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
“You’ll be able to pull all my fingernails out. You’ll be able to shove bamboo up in them. You can begin chopping off my fingers. I’m not voting for Mike Johnson,” Massie stated Thursday in a tv interview.
A number of different Republicans had put themselves within the “undecided” column heading into the vote.
In the course of the preliminary votes, three of these undecided Republicans voted for different lawmakers over Johnson, stopping him from reaching the 218 votes he wanted.
Three lawmakers – Massie, South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman and Texas Congressman Keith Self – named different choices to function the subsequent speaker.
That led Johnson to flee the Home ground and foyer members to again him. Some 45 minutes later, he returned to the Home chamber.
Each Norman and Self modified their votes to again Johnson.
The gavel struck and Johnson received re-election.
Norman advised reporters after the election that he modified his vote after talking with Johnson in a room exterior the Home chamber.
He stated Johnson advised him there can be extra conservatives on the desk throughout negotiations, fewer offers made between congressional and committee management with out exterior enter from different lawmakers and sufficient time to learn invoice textual content earlier than votes are scheduled.
“Once we left that small room, he satisfied me and Keith (Self),” Norman stated. “He (Johnson) stated I’ll do this, simply give me the possibility. He knew and I knew if it went to the second poll it was going to get harder and harder.”
One other participant obtained concerned all through the tense speaker election – President-elect Donald Trump.
Norman spoke with Trump twice in the course of the speaker vote.
The primary time was when fellow Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina handed him her cellphone to talk with the president-elect. The second was whereas assembly with Johnson, Self and several other others.
“(Trump) is as enthusiastic,” Norman stated of the decision with the presidnet-elect. “He stated, ‘Norman, we have now probably the most alternative we have ever had – the Home, Senate, a trifecta, you do not get that chance.’ I stated, ‘Mr. President I agree with you, I am simply hoping Mike has obtained the oomph to drag this off.”
Norman stated the president-elect additionally stated Johnson is the one one who has the likeability to win the speaker election.
Self advised reporters after the vote that he spoke with Trump earlier than and after the speaker election.
He stated he modified his thoughts when Johnson pledged there can be extra members, together with from the far-right Home Freedom Caucus, on the negotiating desk.
“We shored up the reconciliation staff as a result of we all know that this will likely be a heavy elevate to get the Trump agenda throughout the road within the reconciliation line,” he stated.
Friday marked the primary day of the 119th Congress. Republicans have unified management of Washington, with majorities in each the Home and Senate and with Trump returning to the White Home later in January.
Throughout his acceptance speech, Johnson stated that this Congress would champion the concept of America first – a slogan promoted by Trump.
After Trump’s re-election, he stated Individuals are demanding their pursuits are put first once more.
“And we are going to,” Johnson stated.
Voting in a brand new speaker is the primary requirement of the brand new session of Congress, and with out that chief in place, the chamber can not transfer on to some other operate.
This has led to chaos previously – together with when former Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed to undergo 15 rounds of voting earlier than he was confirmed to the management put up.
Minutes earlier than the vote on Friday, Johnson posted on X a number of of his plans, if elected.
He promised to create a “working group comprised of impartial consultants” to work with the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) that Trump named Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to guide.
That working group, he stated, would assessment current audits of federal businesses and entities created by Congress and concern a report.
“If we wish to restore fiscal duty, we should begin by being clear in regards to the {dollars} which might be spent, deal with the problems we discover, after which maintain these accountable who’ve misspent funds,” Johnson wrote.
