Mike Johnson’s time as Speaker of the House may come to an abrupt end.
House Republicans and their real leader Donald Trump are furious with Prime Minister Johnson over this issue. Government funding disruption that expanded last week. Billionaire Elon Musk and Trump threatened a government shutdown just before the holidays, tearing up a deal Johnson had struck with Democrats to fund the government for three months.
The final agreement passed differed little from the original bill. Cut funding for childhood cancer research The provision to raise the debt ceiling requested by President Trump was not included. hypocritically demanded.
politiko It was reported on Monday that:
Trump is not only unhappy with the funding deal, he is also unhappy with Johnson. He is frustrated that the debt ceiling increase he had hoped for did not happen. He felt he had been blindsided by the initial agreement Mr. Johnson made with the Democrats. And in the end, Mr Johnson was unimpressed by the whole chaotic process, which led the incoming government to question whether he would be able to secure another majority next year.
There is currently a lot of debate over whether the Louisiana Republican should be removed from office and replaced with a new speaker when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2025.
The Republican majority is just two seats, so Johnson can afford to lose just one vote if he wants to remain speaker.
But at least three Republicans have already said they will not vote for Johnson, and one said he would actively support someone else.
“Since President Trump’s historic election to rein in spending, deficits, and inflation, the ‘Republican’-led House of Representatives has continued to push for new spending without attempting any offset to prevent deficits and debt from skyrocketing. We’re starting to owe $300 billion. Future generations deserve better,” said Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland. I wrote In Monday’s X post. “What the leadership of the House of Representatives will be in the 119th Congress remains undetermined at this time.”
On Friday, hours before the government shutdown, New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis complained about Johnson’s “unacceptable” lack of communication.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but that’s part of the problem,” Malliotakis said. said Reporters at the Capitol. “The fact that there is zero communication from leadership to members is extremely frustrating. Something should change here by January 3rd.”
Axios reported Fellow Republicans Tim Burchett, Victoria Spaatz, Andy Biggs, Troy Neals and Josh Brechen are also undecided on who they will vote for.
And Congressman Thomas Massie is firmly No. 1.
“I’m not going to participate in negotiations. I’m not going to vote for him,” said the Kentucky Republican. said CNN said there was nothing Johnson could do to win votes.
Democrats, on the other hand, have no intention of bailing out Johnson.
House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on MSNBC on Sunday that “no Democrat will be able to save Mr. Johnson, no extreme MAGA Republicans will be able to save him from themselves,” adding that Mr. Johnson’s job is “in jeopardy.” “They are exposed to it,” he added.
It is unclear who will challenge Mr Johnson for the chairmanship.
The Republican Party is float mask As a candidate for speaker — Mr. Musk, who has never been a congressman and has already done a lot of work as a congressman, this would be a difficult task. President Trump’s co-president.
But even if no one challenges Johnson’s job, if only two Republicans are adamantly opposed to voting for him, there will be no winner, and the House of Representatives will remain in the House until someone can muster a majority of votes. must continue voting. In 2023, 15 rounds About voting for Kevin McCarthy to win the gavel. And in October 2023, the House was paralyzed for 22 days after former Rep. Matt Gaetz ousted Mr. McCarthy from office with no plan for who would replace him. chaotic mess It ended with Johnson’s rise from relative obscurity to become a public speaker.
If Republicans are unable to unite around someone on January 3, when the new Congress is scheduled to be sworn in, the House could descend into chaos. Congress is powerless without a speaker, and the House cannot convene a joint session to certify Trump’s 2024 victory unless Republicans reach a conclusion by Jan. 6.
politiko reported:
Congress is legally required to convene on January 6 to certify the election results. But without a speaker, the House cannot establish rules governing how it operates. and members who would be required to vote if the dissent were passed may not be sworn in until these rules are adopted.
No one knows whether the Republican chatter about Johnson’s future is just annoyance or genuine grievance.
But either way, the turmoil within the Republican Party does not bode well for the party’s ability to govern next year.
