Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan yesterday, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan yesterday, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, wrote on X Friday morning that another Republican could become speaker of the House if Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson loses this afternoon on the first ballot.
“If he fails on the first round today, a better Speaker can be elected in a few hours or over the weekend,” Massie wrote.
Massie’s comment comes in anticipation of a toss-up election for the speaker of the House, with several far-right Republicans threatening to oppose Johnson over his bill to temporarily fund the government in December as well as aid to Ukraine.
In a “scorecard” enumerating criticisms of the 118th Congress circulated by a group of conservatives this morning, reported by Politico, the author said Johnson’s Congress has added $110 billion to the deficit and “hastened Social Security insolvency by at least 6 months.”
“The House must be organized to deliver on the historic mandate granted to President Trump and Republicans,” the document reads. “It currently is not — as demonstrated many times over the last year and, most recently, the week before Christmas.”
On Truth Social Friday morning, President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for Johnson and wished him good luck for the election.
He wrote Johnson is a “fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support.”
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgement of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!!” Trump wrote.
Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate.com.
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