WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to avoid the identical destiny that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, skilled two years in the past: an embarrassing, drawn-out ground combat for the speaker’s gavel.
A small band of right-wing rabble-rousers are threatening to derail Johnson’s bid Friday to retain the speakership. It sometimes can be a troublesome activity to tackle an incumbent speaker. But Republicans maintain such a paper-thin majority in the new 119th Congress that simply two GOP defectors may block Johnson, R-La., from profitable the highest job for an additional two years.
Three days in the past, Johnson acquired an enormous increase when President-elect Donald Trump publicly gave the Louisiana Republican his “Complete & Total Endorsement,” arguing that Johnson’s election would assist the GOP-controlled Congress execute his 2025 agenda. The speaker spent New Year’s Day with Trump at his Florida membership, Mar-a-Lago.
But Johnson has already misplaced one GOP vote; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has taken to X to rally his colleagues towards Johnson, whom he blames for striking deals on government spending, Ukraine support, and renewal of a strong surveillance program often called FISA Section 702.
Lawmakers mentioned the unpredictable Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., can be somebody to observe; she has not committed to backing the speaker and is looking for some assurances.
“I respect and help President Trump, however his endorsement of Mike Johnson goes to work out about in addition to his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,” Massie wrote on X earlier than the New Year. “We’ve seen Johnson accomplice with the democrats to ship cash to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the price range.”
For his half, Johnson is expressing confidence that he’ll retain the gavel within the public roll name set for midday Friday — the primary vote of the brand new Congress when every House member current should verbally forged their vote for speaker.
Democrats are anticipated to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. And almost all Republicans are anticipated to forged their vote for Johnson, who gained his celebration’s nomination for speaker shortly after the Nov. 5 election.
During an look on Fox News Thursday, Johnson touted Trump’s endorsement and warned that any political video games with the speakership may delay Congress’ certification of Trump’s election victory on Monday, Jan. 6. The Louisianan additionally prompt that the House couldn’t afford to delay organizing itself within the new Congress on account of nationwide safety threats just like the deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.
The first House vote of the brand new Congress is the vote to elect the speaker, and no different enterprise can get achieved till the decrease chamber chooses its chief. That means House committees cannot be organized, payments cannot be launched and different votes cannot occur.
“We will get this achieved. Look, the issues that we’re speaking about this morning are an illustration that we reside in very severe instances. We can not afford any palace drama right here. We have gotten to get the Congress began, which begins tomorrow, and we’ve got to get instantly to work,” Johnson mentioned on Fox News.
“We must certify the election of President Donald J Trump on January 6, on Monday. And we’ve got many essential issues urgent on us proper now, so there’s no time to waste. We have to remain unified.”
Johnson is going through the same math drawback that McCarthy confronted simply two years in the past when a small bloc of conservative rebels — led by then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — teamed with Democrats to forestall McCarthy from profitable the gavel. It took 15 rounds of voting over a number of days, and private telephone calls from Trump, to persuade the Gaetz group to face down.
Because of his personal small majority, McCarthy would solely narrowly win the speakership. But simply 269 days later, Gaetz labored with Democrats once more to topple McCarthy, sparking a no-holds-barred battle to succeed him which drew all House enterprise to a standstill for 3 weeks.
In the top, Johnson, then the congenial No. 7 GOP chief within the House with no identified enemies, was unanimously elected speaker after extra senior-ranking leaders tried and failed.
