WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson is attempting to keep away from the identical destiny that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, skilled two years in the past: an embarrassing, drawn-out flooring struggle for the speaker’s gavel.
A small band of right-wing rabble-rousers is threatening to derail Johnson’s bid Friday to retain the speakership. It sometimes could be a troublesome job to tackle an incumbent speaker. But Republicans maintain such a paper-thin majority within the new 119th Congress that simply two GOP defectors might block Johnson, R-La., from successful the highest job for one more two years.
Three days in the past, Johnson obtained a giant 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 mentioned he spent New Year’s Day with Trump at his Florida membership, Mar-a-Lago, shortly after a Cybertruck exploded exterior the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
But Johnson has already misplaced one GOP vote; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has taken to X to rally his colleagues in opposition to Johnson, whom he blames for putting offers on authorities spending, Ukraine help and the renewal of a strong surveillance program often called FISA Section 702.
Lawmakers mentioned the unpredictable Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., can be somebody to look at; she has not dedicated to backing the speaker and is looking for some assurances.
“I respect and assist 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 brand new 12 months. “We’ve seen Johnson associate with the democrats to ship cash to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the finances.”
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 solid their vote for speaker.
Democrats are anticipated to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. And practically all Republicans are anticipated to solid their vote for Johnson, who received his get together’s nomination for speaker shortly after the Nov. 5 election.
During an look on Fox News on Thursday, Johnson touted Trump’s endorsement and warned that any political video games with the speakership might delay Congress’ certification of Trump’s election victory Jan. 6. The Louisianan additionally instructed that the House couldn’t afford to delay organizing itself within the new Congress as a result of nationwide safety threats just like the lethal New Year’s Day assault 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 performed 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 performed. Look, the issues that we’re speaking about this morning are an illustration that we stay in very severe occasions. We can not afford any palace drama right here. We have gotten to get the Congress began, which begins tomorrow, and we have now to get instantly to work,” Johnson mentioned on Fox News.
“We need to certify the election of President Donald J Trump on Jan. 6, on Monday. And we have now many essential issues urgent on us proper now, so there’s no time to waste. We have to remain unified.”
Johnson is going through an identical 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 successful 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 recognized enemies, was unanimously elected speaker after extra senior-ranking leaders tried and failed.
On Fox, Johnson acknowledged that he is coping with a difficult “numbers sport.” Republicans received a 220-215 majority in November. But Gaetz resigned from workplace after the election and mentioned he wouldn’t be sworn in for the brand new 119th Congress on Friday, slicing the GOP benefit to 219-215.
Johnson would wish at the least 218 votes — a easy majority — to win the gavel if all House members are current on Friday.
He mentioned he spent the vacations reaching out to “each single one” of his GOP critics. And, he advised Fox, he is making the case that he’s the very best individual for the job and that Republicans — who beginning later this month will management all of the levers of energy in Washington — can not afford to delay enacting Trump’s legislative agenda, which incorporates renewing tax cuts and border safety.
He just lately advised Fox News’ Sean Hannity he had a 45-minute telephone name with one among his loudest critics, Spartz.
“We have unified authorities that begins tomorrow. We have the White House, the Senate and the House — a completely completely different state of affairs than we handled over the past 14 months since I’ve been Speaker,” Johnson mentioned on Fox. “So we’re excited to ship on the America First agenda.”