Speaker Mike Johnson cannot afford to lose Republican votes if he wants to become speaker again in 2025, but his mishandling of last week’s government funding bill has shaken the confidence of some in his party.
Three House Republicans who spoke to the Daily Caller shared their frustration with Johnson, saying it will be difficult for him to regain the trust of his colleagues ahead of the Speaker’s race. Lawmakers were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.
All three suggested his fate may be in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.
“Mike Johnson’s disastrous response to the continuing resolution has undoubtedly put his future speakership in jeopardy, with several members reconsidering whether they could support him in January. “A lot will depend on whether Donald Trump’s support for the speaker remains strong,” said one House Republican.
“Trump needs to do everything in his power to save him, but it’s still going to be a massive hike…” said another House Republican. (Related: Mike Johnson’s broken promise at CR may have cost him the speaking seat)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson found himself in trouble after proposing a more than 1,500-page continuing resolution to keep the government in place until March 14. The proposal was quickly opposed by many House Republicans, as well as Trump ally Elon Musk, who called it unruly and restrictive. Lots of unnecessary clauses. (Related article: The craziest thing that happened was Congress snuck into big Christmas spending)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson welcomes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the podium during the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Another House Republican said there was nothing that could be done to restore trust and compared Johnson to President Joe Biden.
“There’s nothing Mike Johnson can do between now and the Speaker’s election to restore Republican confidence in Congress. He’s as lame as Joe Biden,” they said.
A source close to President Trump reportedly said that Prime Minister Johnson was in trouble. “For the past few weeks, we have been wondering: [Johnson has] He was an honest broker,” one Trump aide said. apparently told Politico.
So far, President Trump has not publicly weighed Johnson’s fate. The two have met multiple times at Mar-a-Lago over the past year, and Mr. Johnson could visit Mr. Trump again before the speaker’s election to solidify support.
Representative Thomas Massey, Republican of Kentucky, became the first House Republican to say he would oppose Johnson’s appointment as speaker. I’m saying Wednesday: “I’ll vote for someone else,” he said when asked who he would vote for instead. I’m not going to say it yet. ”
“There is a cognitive disconnect among my colleagues who say they plan to vote for Speaker Johnson in two weeks, even though they dislike his CR. That 1,557-page bill is a single-party “He couldn’t understand why we didn’t wrap up,” Massey said. tweeted last week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, raises the gavel during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on Monday, July 15, 2024. (Photo by David Paul Morris) /Bloomberg, via Getty) Image)
No other House Republicans have said they plan to challenge Johnson for speaker. Notably, if Republicans gain a razor-thin House majority in the next Congress, even a small anti-Johnson faction will have significant influence over who becomes the next speaker.
Before the chairman election, all eyes will be on Mr. Trump and his support.
