Mike Johnson was narrowly reelected as U.S. House Speaker on Friday, exposing potential rifts amongst President-elect Donald Trump’s Republicans in Congress.
Johnson appeared to initially fall in need of the bulk he wanted to retain his job in a roll-call vote that lasted almost two hours, however two Republican opponents switched their votes to assist him after prolonged negotiations. He received reelection with 218 votes – the minimal quantity wanted.
Republicans management the chamber by a razor-thin 219-215 majority.
The vote was an early check of the celebration’s potential to hold collectively because it advances Trump’s agenda of tax cuts and border enforcement. It additionally examined Trump’s clout on Capitol Hill, the place a handful of Republicans have proven a willingness to defy him.
House Republicans have been racked by inner divisions over the past two years. Johnson was elevated to speaker after the celebration ousted his predecessor Kevin McCarthy in the midst of his time period.
Members of Congress milled across the chamber for greater than half an hour after voting had concluded, whereas Johnson and his lieutenants may very well be seen attempting to influence the holdouts.
It was not instantly clear what led Representatives Ralph Norman and Keith Self to alter their minds and vote for Johnson after first voting towards him. Another six Republicans had initially declined to vote in any respect earlier than casting ballots for Johnson.
Representative Thomas Massie, a vocal opponent of Johnson who has lengthy been a thorn within the aspect of his celebration’s management, was the lone Republican to vote towards him.
A Reuters photographer captured a picture of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who voted for Johnson, speaking on her iPhone with the identify Susie Wiles – Trump’s incoming chief of employees – seen on the display screen.
The House went by 15 rounds of voting over 4 days in 2023 earlier than electing McCarthy speaker.
The mild-mannered Louisiana consultant, 52, was vaulted from obscurity into one in every of Washington’s strongest jobs throughout three weeks of turmoil in October 2023, when Republicans pressured out McCarthy and struggled to agree on a successor. The conservative Christian lawyer emerged as a consensus decide, however has since struggled to maintain his celebration unified.
He has sought to construct an in depth relationship with Trump, who endorsed him on Monday following weeks of uncertainty.
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on-line on Friday. Trump returns to the White House on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
In a task that’s second in line to the presidency after the vp, Johnson can have an enormous job forward. In addition to taking over Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda, Congress might want to tackle the nation’s debt ceiling later this 12 months.
Johnson’s 219-215 Republican majority is more likely to slim even additional, not less than quickly, if the Senate confirms two Republican lawmakers to positions in Trump’s administration.
Trump has nominated Elise Stefanik to function ambassador to the United Nations and Mike Waltz to function his nationwide safety adviser. Another seat is vacant, as Republican Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress when he was nominated to function Trump’s lawyer basic. Gaetz withdrew from that place as effectively within the face of allegations of sexual misconduct.
All three seats, which characterize solidly Republican districts, are resulting from be crammed in particular elections later this 12 months.
With the federal authorities already greater than $36 trillion in debt, many congressional Republicans are anticipated to demand vital spending cuts.
Republicans have been additionally sworn into their new 53-47 Senate majority on Friday with Senator John Thune as their new chief, succeeding long-serving Senator Mitch McConnell, who’s stepping other than management however remaining in workplace.
Johnson over the previous 12 months angered some conservatives by repeatedly turning to Democrats to offer the votes to go crucial laws, like payments to maintain authorities businesses working. He additionally confronted a last-minute problem late final month when Trump advised House Republicans to scrap a authorities funding deal, demanding it additionally increase the nation’s debt ceiling.
A revised model of that invoice – not together with Trump’s debt-ceiling demand – handed the House just a few hours earlier than the federal government would have shut down, and it acquired extra assist from Democrats than Republicans.
Congress is scheduled to satisfy on Monday to certify Trump’s presidential election victory, a operate it will likely be unable to carry out with out a speaker.
Johnson has additionally regarded to make his path for the subsequent two years simpler, by altering a rule agreed to by McCarthy that allowed anybody member of the House to name for the speaker’s ouster by what is called a “motion to vacate.” Johnson’s proposed guidelines would require 9 members of the bulk to agree earlier than forcing the kind of vote that led to McCarthy’s ouster.
Source: www.dailysabah.com