Republican Get hang of. Mike Johnson of Louisiana became once elected speaker of the Home of Representatives on Wednesday, ending a 3-week leadership disaster that has scared Congress.
Vice president of the Home Republican conference and a laborious-compatible conservative, Johnson had maintained a low public profile unless he became once thrust into the spotlight this week after securing the celebration’s nomination for speaker.
All 220 Republicans who solid a ballotvoted for Johnson — despite his being the fourth nominee tapped by the GOP conference in two weeks because the deeply divided celebration again and again didn’t set forward a candidate who had sufficient enhance.
In an tackle to Congress after his election, Johnson mentioned the first invoice he would bring to the Home ground is a resolution expressing unity with Israel in its war against Hamas.
“We are going to stammer no longer handiest Israel however all the enviornment that the barbarism of Hamas that we now contain got considered play out on our television displays is gloomy and nasty,” Johnson mentioned.
“We desire our allies around the enviornment to know that this physique of lawmakers is reporting again to our accountability stations,” the Louisianan mentioned. “Let the enemies of freedom around the enviornment hear us loud and sure: The americans’s house is relief in industry.”
All 209 Democrats who voted Wednesday solid their ballotfor Minority Leader Get hang of. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
President Joe Biden known as Johnson to congratulate the speaker and mentioned he appears like forward to working collectively to search out standard ground, according to the White Home.
Johnson managed to rally the GOP conference within the relief of his expose after recalcitrant Republicans rejected the three previous nominees — Home Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Get hang of. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.
Johnson’s expose obtained a grab Wednesday from dilapidated President Donald Trump, who encouraged Republicans to vote for the Louisianan.
He additionally consolidated the backing of several moderate New York Republicans who had been reluctant to enhance some of the extra hardline conservatives who sought the stop job.
Johnson, who is serving his fourth term in Congress, will wield the gavel as The US faces a looming government shutdown, Israel wages war on Hamas, and Ukraine struggles to push relief Russia’s invasion.
The Home wants to circulate spending legislation by Nov. 17 to defend the government running, and Biden has known as on Congress to approve emergency security assistance for Israel and Ukraine.
Johnson urged Republicans in a letter Monday that he would indicate a temporary measure to fund the government by means of Jan. 15 or April 15, because the Home works to circulate the 12 appropriation funds major to defend federal businesses running by means of all the fiscal yr.
Johnson voted against legislation in September that has kept the government running by means of November, and he has adverse assistance for Ukraine within the previous. The Louisiana Republican mentioned earlier this month that the Home wants to take all the biggest action to abet Israel crash Hamas.
Johnson is a staunch social conservative who participated in Republican efforts to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory.
He filed a correct temporary in enhance of a lawsuit that sought to block the certification of Biden’s victories in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Johnson then supported objections in Congress to the certification of Arizona’s and Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential outcomes.
Johnson additionally served on Trump’s correct workforce all over the dilapidated president’s first impeachment.
He beforehand did correct work for the Alliance Defending Freedom, an ultraconservative advocacy workforce that litigates to restrict abortion rep admission to and prohibit identical-sex marriage.
Correction: This article has been updated to deem that Johnson did correct work for the Alliance Defending Freedom. A previous version misstated the group’s title.
