Meet the new House speaker – same as the old House speaker.
House Republicans have unanimously selected Shreveport-area Congressman Mike Johnson as speaker of the 119th Congress.
“We have to deliver for the American people beginning on day one in the new Congress, and we will be ready for that,” Speaker Johnson told a news conference Wednesday.
Johnson said House Republicans are unified in working on their agenda for the American people.
“The number one concerns were the cost of living, the wide-open border, the instability on the world stage, the weakness that has gotten us into the most dangerous situation since World War II,”
Johnson said. “They were worried about instability and insecurity, the radical, progressive, woke agenda. People have had enough of all that.”
And Speaker Johnson says House Republicans are gearing up to act on their agenda right away.
“We have a very well-designed playbook. We will begin to execute those plays with precision on day one.”
There are a very small handful of races yet to be called by major news organizations, but nearly all of them have Republicans at the 218-seat threshold to retain control of the lower chamber.
LSU Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeffrey Sadow says it’s no surprise that Johnson was voted unanimously by his fellow Republicans as speaker.
“He kept them together and really demonstrated some ability to largely — maybe not entirely, but largely — pursue the agenda of the majority of the Republican Party,” Sadow says.
Sadow says Johnson will go into the new Congress with a more unified Republican caucus.
“I think the numbers are going to be about the same,” Sadow says; “but I think in terms of the members, they might be a little more likely or willing to follow his leadership.”
Johnson, however, will still have very little leeway, with the GOP only holding a slim majority, which will be made slimmer with at least three resignations by those tapped to serve in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet.
“They only have a handful of votes on your side,” says Sadow, “and (if there are) a few people in there that are not entirely satisfied with the direction that the party is going, then there will always be challenges. But I think it’s going to be a little easier.”
The 119th Congress will be sworn in at noon Eastern time on Friday, January 3rd.
