JUST IN: Rep Mike Johnson voted new House speaker
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During Jordan's failed speaker elections, some GOP holdouts voted for Donalds as a protest candidate. On the other hand, when the speaker and the president belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the speaker tend to increase. As the highest-ranking member of the opposition party (and de facto leader of the opposition), the speaker is normally the chief public opponent of the president's agenda. In this scenario, the speaker is known for undercutting the president's agenda by blocking measures by the minority party or rejecting bills by the Senate. Historically, there have been several controversial elections to the speakership, such as the contest of 1839.
Johnson enters speaker’s office for first time since being sworn in
As a speaker but not a member of Congress, Trump would have literally no ability to vote on any pieces of legislation. And as per centuries of tradition, he'd also be discouraged from voicing his opinion during floor debates and would be required to intimately learn the customary parliamentary procedure necessary to keep such a massive legislative body in order. And as Republicans in the House hold such a narrow majority, there's also practically no possibility of Trump becoming speaker if only a few GOP members are opposed, as there's zero chance even a single Democrat would vote for the embattled former president to lead the chamber.
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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. House conservatives are signaling they’ll give the newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson some runway and flexibility as the House barrels toward a November 17 spending deadline to fund the government. "It is my greatest honor to serve with all of you in this decisive time, and I would be humbled to earn your support and, and by God's grace, lead our historic cause as your Speaker," he wrote, signing off the letter to his colleagues "for freedom." The Louisiana Republican on Saturday released a letter confirming his bid and saying any leader must work to restore trust in Congress, work to grow a Republican majority and more. "There's a lot of people that appreciated what we did," Scott told USA TODAY about his first speaker campaign. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday, March 26 after a column was struck by a container ship that reportedly lost power, sending vehicles and people into the Patapsco River.
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The humanitarian assistance comes to more than $9 billion for Gaza, where millions of Palestinians face starvation, lack of clean water and disease outbreaks. Aid in the legislation to support Israel and provide humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza comes to more than $26 billion. The amount of money dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems totals about $4 billion in the House and Senate bills. An additional $2.4 billion for current U.S. military operations in the regions is also the same in both bills. The president would be authorized to set the terms of the loan to Ukraine and also be given the power to cancel it. Congress could override the cancellation but would have to generate enough votes to override a veto, a high bar considering how the two chambers are so evenly divided.
Mike Johnson elected House speaker with unanimous GOP support, ending weeks of chaos
At the moment, there's also no assurance that Trump is even interested in the position at all. Speaking to reporters at his civil fraud trial in New York, he recently said his focus was "totally on" running for president, though he also noted he'd "do whatever is best for the country and for the Republican Party." On Nov. 8, 2020, Mr. Johnson was onstage at a northwest Louisiana church speaking about Christianity in America when Mr. Trump called. Mr. Johnson had been in touch with the president’s team on his myriad legal challenges seeking to overturn the results, “to restore the integrity of our election process,” according to a Facebook post by Mr. Johnson recounting the exchange.
Mr. Johnson won after multiple rounds of ballots, beating out Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, a member of the Freedom Caucus. A majority of those opposed to Mr. Emmer were members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and loyal to Mr. Trump. He has also opposed continued funding for the war in Ukraine, which has emerged as a bitter fault line in the G.O.P. and in the spending battles that any new speaker will have to navigate in the coming days. “[Emmer] asked us to come down and ask to speak to why we could not support him” in his quest for the gavel, Allen said. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the vice conference chair and Judiciary member, is making calls for speaker, according to a source. Sessions is among the growing list of members who are throwing their hat in the ring for speaker now that the field is wide open.
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Johnson said Republicans would "dispense with all of the usual ceremonies and celebrations” and get to work. “You’re going to see an aggressive schedule in the days and weeks ahead,” he said. Mr. Johnson immediately faces a host of challenges that dogged his predecessor, Mr. McCarthy. He is confronting a mid-November deadline to pass a measure to fund the government to avert a shutdown. And he will need to lead a conference deeply divided over foreign policy as Congress considers the Biden administration’s $105 billion funding request for Israel, Ukraine and the southern border. Evoking his evangelical Christian faith, Mr. Johnson repeatedly referred to scripture in his speech from the House floor.
After a mob of Mr. Trump’s supporters, believing the election was rigged, stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and injured about 150 police officers, Mr. Johnson condemned the violence. But he defended the actions of congressional Republicans in objecting to Mr. Biden’s victory. If Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio was the most prominent public face of the congressional effort to fight the results of the 2020 election, his mentee, the newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, was a silent but pivotal partner. “From an outside point of view these last few weeks probably look like total chaos, confusion, no end in sight," he said. "But from my perspective, this is one of the greatest experiences of the recent history of our republic."
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The Louisiana Republican's attendance at the meeting is a "deal-breaker" for Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., one of the holdouts who is opposing Scalise and also one of the eight GOP lawmakers who voted to oust McCarthy. On the 13th ballot, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., threw his support behind McCarthy as well after repeatedly opposing him. "There was great hope and then crashing down and resuscitation," Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a former member of McCarthy's leadership team who nominated him earlier in the day, told reporters of the "roller coaster" ride. McCarthy received 216 votes and all six of his remaining GOP detractors agreed to vote present, helping to lower the number of votes needed to win the coveted gavel.
For three days this week, a band of roughly 20 conservative hard-liners voted 11 consecutive times to block McCarthy from winning the prized gavel, even as former President Donald Trump was personally dialing up McCarthy foes to end their opposition. Some called on McCarthy to drop out, while others placed demands on him that jeopardized his fragile GOP coalition of moderates and conservatives. It's just a formal endorsement, and as they head to the House for an official vote, they're allowed to nominate other candidates.
Then, on Oct. 3, McCarthy became the first House speaker in history to be removed by a motion to vacate. McCarthy did not publicly endorse a candidate when Rep. Jim Jordan and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise vied for the nomination. But with obstacle after obstacle in the way, and the position likely not even personally interesting to Trump, it's probably best for Congress to look elsewhere for a new leader. So while yes, just as a well-trained golden retriever could theoretically lead the House, so too could Trump if he can unite the conference and sidestep its own rules. As former Speaker Newt Gingrich angrily pointed out in a recent editorial piece, the rules stipulate that the ability for a member to file a motion to vacate "should only be available with the agreement of the Republican Conference so as to not allow Democrats to choose the Speaker." One of the GOP conference's own rules, however, already appears to have been circumvented this week.
Moreover, in 1975, the speaker was granted the authority to appoint a majority of the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of the speaker. Prior to the GOP's 40-year sentence as the minority party, several of its speakers had risen to the top rung largely on their personal popularity among their colleagues. One was Joseph Martin of Massachusetts, who led the party in the House during two brief interludes of majority status after World War II. Both lasted only the minimum two years, the first ending with Democratic Harry S. Truman's surprise White House win in 1948.
Timeline: Republicans' chaotic search for a new House speaker - CBS News
Timeline: Republicans' chaotic search for a new House speaker.
Posted: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Johnson now faces a daunting list of challenges, with a fast-approaching government shutdown chief among them. The House is staring down a deadline of Nov. 17, when current government funding expires. In his blueprint for the next few months, Johnson said a stopgap measure extending funding until January or April may be needed to approve more spending and avoid a shutdown.
"I made my decision based on my relationship with the conference," Emmer told reporters when asked whether Trump helped doom his candidacy. Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota declined Tuesday to say whether former President Donald Trump was a factor in his decision to end his bid for the speakership. Republicans held a candidate forum Tuesday night with five members vying to be the next speaker-designee after Emmer withdrew.
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