Mike Johnson elected House speaker with unanimous GOP support, ending weeks of chaos

Table Of Content

• House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik nominates Mike Johnson: "Today is the day we get this done"
• More from CBS News
• Johnson wins nomination
• House chamber mood is chipper and lively ahead of speaker vote
• Kevin McCarthy votes for Rep. Mike Johnson for speaker
• Who is Mike Johnson? New House speaker is a strong Trump ally and a quiet force among Republicans
• House begins first round of voting for speaker

He continued to act as one of Trump’s chief defenders through the 2020 election, rallying colleagues to sign a letter of support for an unsuccessful case by several states to throw out some election results. A constitutional lawyer and former member of the Louisiana state House, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. He is the first Louisianan to become speaker and the first Southerner to serve as speaker since Republican Newt Gingrich of Georgia in the 1990s. Members of the House are now nominating representatives from their party for the speakership. Speaker designee Mike Johnson is working the floor ahead of his speakership vote, shaking hands and taking selfies with members. House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik nominated speaker designee Mike Johnson on the House floor Wednesday as the GOP looks to elect a speaker after failing to fill the vacancy for three weeks.

House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik nominates Mike Johnson: "Today is the day we get this done"

Before the vote Wednesday, numerous members of Congress said they knew little about Johnson, with some Republican senators saying they had never even met him. Gaetz called him "MAGA Mike Johnson" in an appearance Wednesday on right-wing host Steve Bannon's podcast. Last month, Johnson was among 93 Republicans who voted for an amendment by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to cut off U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. Johnson's voting record has earned him a lifetime rating of 92% from the American Conservative Union and 90% from Heritage Action. On Tuesday night, after he was nominated, Johnson declined to respond to a question about his role in the election objections. Trump lashed out at Emmer after he won the nomination, accusing him of being out of touch with GOP voters and calling a vote for him a "tragic mistake."

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McCaul's measure goes on to declare that the House "stands ready to assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic and intelligence support." Jeffries, the Democratic leader, presented him with the gavel, calling him a "family man, a hardworking man, a Baptist man, a Southern man, a son of a firefighter's household." Johnson listed a number of his priorities, including border security, cutting federal spending and establishing a bipartisan debt commission "immediately." "I think all the American people at one time had great pride in this institution, but right now that's in jeopardy," he said.

Johnson wins nomination

She said that as vice chair of the Republican Conference, Johnson has "united all of our members to speak clearly and boldly on behalf of the American people." Johnson won the speaker's gavel in a single round of voting, with the support of all Republicans in attendance. In a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, President Biden welcomed news of Johnson's election. "There are many throughout this country who are understandably alarmed at the turbulence of the moment, at the chaos, the dysfunction and the extremism that has been unleashed in this chamber from the very beginning of this Congress," he said. Johnson has laid out a tentative legislative schedule to approve new spending and take up other pieces of legislation, but things could change quickly as he confronts the realities of governing, especially given the fractious nature of the Republican conference. Johnson was the party's fourth nominee for speaker in three weeks, having taken the place of Rep. Tom Emmer, whose candidacy lasted all of four hours on Tuesday.

"Therefore, the Honorable Mike Johnson of the state of Louisiana, having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress," McHenry, the interim speaker, announced after reading the final vote tally. "From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have been governing for the people," Jeffries said. "We continue to look forward to finding bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible." Johnson was sworn in as the 56th House speaker soon after winning the vote and delivering a speech to lawmakers in the House chamber. Mr. Biden spoke to Johnson on the phone a short time later, the White House said, to offer his congratulations and express "that he looks forward to working together to find common ground on behalf of the American people."

Kevin McCarthy votes for Rep. Mike Johnson for speaker

He sits on the Judiciary Committee (and chairs a subcommittee on the Constitution), the Armed Services Committee and the newly created select committee on "Weaponization of the Federal Government." As House Republicans gathered earlier in the week to select their third nominee for speaker, Trump vowed to remain on the sidelines of the race. But hours after Emmer won the nod in a closed-door vote by the conference Tuesday morning, the former president lambasted the Minnesota Republican, writing on Truth Social that "voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake." The four absences mean Johnson will need 215 votes to win the speakership if all members in the chamber vote for a candidate.

Who is Mike Johnson? New House speaker is a strong Trump ally and a quiet force among Republicans

He’s taking charge after three weeks of infighting, other failed candidacies and no action on legislation. Stefanik made the argument that Johnson is the best candidate as "we live in perilous times and the American people are hurting." Voting will be done verbally with members called by name alphabetically and then stating their choice for speaker.

Who is new House Speaker Mike Johnson and what can he accomplish? - PBS NewsHour

Who is new House Speaker Mike Johnson and what can he accomplish?.

Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Rep. Mike Johnson voted new House speaker

Asked if he would bring a vote to oust Johnson if he put forth a short-term spending bill at current spending levels, Rep. Matt Gaetz said he’s optimistic Johnson will be able to actually pass the individual spending bills. Mr. Biden welcomed news of Johnson's election and said in a statement that both sides "need to move swiftly to address our national security needs and to avoid a shutdown in 22 days." A New York Times article last year called Johnson “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” on Jan. 6, 2021. His argument to colleagues was that certain states’ changes to their voting procedures during the Covid-19 pandemic were unconstitutional, an argument that became more palatable to lawmakers than the fabricated claims of mass fraud. The little-known congressman was first elected in 2016, representing a solidly Republican part of north and western Louisiana. He has ascended through the ranks, chairing the conservative Republican Study Committee and holding the position of House Republican Conference vice chair.

House begins first round of voting for speaker

The new speaker has been in Congress since 2017 and has no experience in the House leadership. In a letter to colleagues earlier Wednesday, Johnson outlined his first priority will be trying to pass the remaining spending bills that have so far languished in the House one by one. Speaking to the chamber after his election, Johnson said the U.S. must rein in government spending and address the growing national debt, which he called "the greatest threat to our national security." Johnson sent a letter to his colleagues on Monday laying out a tentative schedule for how he would approach the next several months' worth of House business. He endorsed a plan to bring up 12 individual spending bills, rather than a single massive piece of legislation to fund executive branch departments.

Of course, any spending bills would require passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Biden's signature, and drastic Republican-backed spending cuts would be dead on arrival. His plan envisions beginning negotiations on spending in October, and acknowledges they could continue until April. Johnson prevailed after a chaotic process that saw three other GOP nominees fail to unite the party and secure a majority. He won 220 to 209 in the House vote on Wednesday with unanimous support among Republicans, who enjoy a slim majority in the chamber. When asked about the 2020 election at a news conference after he was nominated for speaker Tuesday night, Johnson declined to answer. Johnson is close to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who strategized with Trump on how to overturn his presidential defeat and lost his own bid for speaker earlier this week after moderates in the conference revolted.

In July, the House passed its version of the must-pass defense policy bill, which included a number of conservative policy priorities on abortion, health coverage for transgender service members, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The White House has requested an emergency aid package worth $106 billion, which would include $14 billion in aid to Israel. The administration also wants $61 billion to fund further aid to Ukraine and replenish U.S. stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. That has already emerged as a sticking point with some Republicans who want to consider aid to Israel separately. The House moved quickly to take up the resolution, scheduling a vote on the measure for Wednesday afternoon. An active member of the House Judiciary Committee, Johnson gained some notice as one of the leading Republican questioners of witnesses during Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.

The brief claimed that the officials and courts in each of the battleground states unconstitutionally usurped the power granted to state legislators by changing election rules in 2020. "I think you're going to see that we're back at full strength. We're energized, unified and I think that's a positive thing for the country," he said. Democrats will nominate Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and they are being urged to vote for him, according to a notice from Democratic whip Katherine Clark's office. Rep. Pete Aguilar , the Democratic caucus chair, will deliver the nominating speech for Jeffries. "We have to ensure Vladimir Putin is not successful, and I think all the House Republicans are united in that cause."