Mike Johnson scrambles to shut down a GOP revolt
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House Speaker Mike Johnson at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20, 2024. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) floated "process reforms" Thursday as he tries to shore up his bid to retain his gavel on Jan. 3.
Why it matters: Johnson's remarks to Fox News are a sign he is willing to make commitments to his Republican skeptics as they demand he take a harder line on government spending and resist the urge to broker bipartisan compromises.
- "They were upset with how the year-end stuff came to the floor," one House Republican told Axios of the speaker's detractors.
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of Johnson's most vocal holdouts, "wants more commitment to member-driven and socialized proposals," the lawmaker said.
What he's saying: Johnson said in a "Fox and Friends" interview that the Friday speaker election is a "numbers game," noting he is set to have a 219-215 majority and will have "a margin of probably two votes."
- Johnson said he has been making calls to the roughly dozen House Republicans who have refused to commit to voting for his reelection.
- "I've talked to every single one of those friends and colleagues over the holidays. We'll be talking about process reforms in the House," he said, without specifying what those changes might be.
State of play: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already pledged to vote for an alternative to Johnson, meaning the speaker likely cannot lose a single additional vote.
- Many members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, including chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) and former chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.), have said they are undecided.
- Perry complained to the Philadelphia Inquirer that Johnson "has not been artful" in advancing the "Trump agenda."
Zoom in: Johnson is making the case that, with Republicans set to take control of the Senate and White House, he will have a greater ability to pursue legislation that satisfies his right flank.
- "I think the reason they're all going to vote yes is this: We are shifting into a brand new paradigm. We have unified government that begins tomorrow," Johnson said.
- "We are excited to deliver on the American First agenda. It begins on day one ... tomorrow," he added.
- He and his allies are also warning that a failure to pick the speaker could delay the Jan. 6 certification of President-elect Trump's victory.
Between the lines: Johnson has made one rule change that, much to Democrats' fury, could make it easier for him to focus on internal GOP matters at the expense of bipartisanship.
- The proposed rules package for the 119th Congress makes it so that, rather than any member of either party being able to force a vote on ousting the speaker, only a group of at least nine Republicans can.
- Said House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.): "Instead of electing a Speaker of the House, they have decided to elect a Speaker of the Republican Conference — held hostage by their most extreme members."
The bottom line: "He will make it," predicted the House Republican who spoke anonymously.
