The US House of Representatives voted just 3 days into the new year on who would preside over the lower house through the 119th Session of Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson [R-LA-4] who was elected following the removal of Fmr. Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023, was pushing to be re-elected Speaker of the House. Speaker Johnson was endorsed by President-Elect Donald J. Trump however, with the paper-thin majority, just two GOP defections temporarily blocked Speaker Johnson from retaining his title. After 2 hours of gridlock, Speaker Johnson was re-elected and will continue serving as the 56th Speaker of the House.
Members of the Republican caucus resisted a quick and easy re-election of Speaker Johnson, notably Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie.
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”, Rep. Massie wrote in an X post.
Immediately following the first round of voting, Speaker Johnson fell short with a 216-215-3 vote: 216 for Johnson, 215 for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries [D-NY-8], and 3 votes for ‘Other’, that is, anyone but the current options. President-Elect Trump was calling Congressmembers urging them to re-elect Speaker Johnson in what Congressman Keith Self [R-TX-3] described as a “lively discussion”. Huddling with other members of Congress, Speaker Johnson sought to get the vote done in the first round. In the end, Speaker Johnson was able to sway two defectors, Congressmen Self and Ralph Norman [R-SC-5], thus securing a narrow re-election to be Speaker, presumably for another 2 years.
Another change was the threshold to remove a speaker being raised. Last session, it took just one congressman (Fmr. Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida) to kickstart the removal of Fmr. Speaker Kevin McCarthy by issuing a motion to vacate. Because of the new House rules package voted along party lines, it will now take 9 votes from the Speaker’s same party to remove Speaker Johnson.
A relieved Speaker Johnson thanked supporters and aides who assisted him in unifying the Republican caucus behind him. If the Speaker vote had been stagnant, the certification of the 2024 Presidential Election, as well as the scheduling of the Inauguration of President-Elect Trump and VP-Elect JD Vance, could have potentially triggered a Constitutional crisis. Thankfully, conflict was avoided and the House Republican caucus was able to move together in relative lockstep.
“I’m grateful for this election, for the confidence this chamber has placed in me. It is the great honor of my life to serve this body with all of you,” Speaker Johnson said to the House after being handed the Speaker’s gavel. With that, the leadership of the 119th Congress was finalized and the business of the American people can continue.
