WASHINGTON – U.S. House Republicans on Friday elected Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson as their speaker for the 119th Congress, after weeks of speculation about whether the GOP would begin another drawn-out public leadership battle.
The dramatic vote ensured that Johnson, who was first elected speaker in October 2023, will hold the gavel as Republicans tackle an ambitious legislative agenda that includes overhauling the country’s immigration system and tax code.
Johnson won the votes 218 Republicans voted, while 215 Democrats voted for New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman and Texas Rep. Keith Self all originally voted for other members to speak. But after several conversations on and off the floor, Norman and Self switched to Johnson.
The GOP won the November election unified government control, which will officially begin on January 20th when President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office.
“This Congress will abandon the status quo and we will listen to the voices of the people. “We will act quickly and first defend our country’s borders – that is our top priority,” Johnson said during a speech after the vote. “In coordination with President Trump, this Congress will give our border and immigration agents the resources they need to do their jobs.”
Unified Republican control of the government, he said, would also deport people without legal status in the country and complete construction of a border wall.
Johnson said the GOP will adopt bills over the next two years to cut taxes, expand energy production and “reduce the size and scope of government.”
Trump support
Trump advocated Johnson earlier this week and reiterated his support ahead of Friday’s vote a social media post, Johnson is “a great man with great abilities who has almost 100 percent support.”
“A win for Mike today would be a major victory for the Republican Party and further recognition of our most consequential presidential election in 129 years!! – A GREAT AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!”
Self told reporters that he changed his vote after speaking to Trump and Johnson about Republican priorities like reconciliation.
“President Trump has the same emphasis as I do,” Self said. “We need to make sure that this Congress is as strong as possible when we go up against the Senate on a reconciliation package, because that’s where the debate is going to be on what the reconciliation package should even look like.”
Norman told reporters that he changed his vote after Johnson “gave us the assurance that he would fight for everything as we move forward.”
Republicans plan to employ the complicated budget reconciliation process to push through several of their policy goals, but that process is subject to strict rules designed to circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the South Dakota Republican who took over as chairman of that chamber on Friday, has pledged to maintain this procedural hurdle for unforgivable bills.
“Sensible spending reforms”
Johnson announced three endorsements shortly before the speaker vote. Writing on social media that “Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to enact meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse and end the weaponization of government.”
He promised to “establish a working group of independent experts – who will not be corrupted by lobbyists and special interests – to work with DOGE and our committees to implement recommended government and spending reforms to protect the American taxpayer.”
Trump has hired Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to form an outside groupcalled the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is expected to recommend spending cuts to Congress, although the two could face significant headwinds depending on the nature of the recommendations.
Johnson wrote in his social media post that he would direct the task force to review “existing congressionally created audits of federal agencies and entities” and release a report on their findings.
Finally, Johnson wrote that he would “demand” that “House committees conduct aggressive authorizations and appropriations reviews, including providing additional resources as needed to detect irresponsible or illegal practices and hold accountable agencies/individuals who challenge the administration.” “Used the American people as weapons.”
Unlike the McCarthy fight
Johnson’s election in the first round marked a slightly smoother start to this Congress than the last one in January 2023. when the House GOP needed 15 rounds of voting over several days before members elected then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
Nine months later, McCarthy was removed from office and it took about a month for Republicans to coalesce around Johnson after the failed bids of Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Tom Emmer of Minnesota.
Johnson must work closely with Thune to maintain the two chambers’ consensus on policy.
The two have a daunting list of legislative goals they need to unify Republican lawmakers amid extremely gaunt majorities.
Voters elected Republicans to 220 House seats and gave Democrats 215 House seats, one of the narrowest majorities in the country’s history.
Johnson will have an even narrower margin of victory since former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz did not take the oath of office on Friday after previously choosing to resign from Congress in overdue December An investigation by the ethics committee was published.
Two more House Republicans are expected to leave sometime in the coming weeks to take positions in the Trump administration. Special elections to replace these three lawmakers will take months and do not necessarily guarantee that voters will elect Republicans to represent these districts.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, giving Thune a little more room for political negotiations, although not much.
The narrow majorities require both far-right and centrist Republicans to support comprehensive bills that are likely to address complicated policy areas such as immigration and taxes – an extremely challenging task.
Republicans were able to pass a sweeping tax law in 2017, the last time they had unified control of government, but they held 241 seats in the House of Representatives at the time.
While all 51 Senate Republicans voted for the final version of this bill, a dozen House Republicans voted against the package and three did not vote.
Former state legislators in the 119th Congress
Nearly half of the 119th Congress – 247 of the 535 members – were former state or territorial legislators National Conference of State Legislatures.
Twelve states — Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin — have at least six former state legislators in the modern Congress.
California, Florida, New York and Texas each have at least 11 former lawmakers in the 119th Congress.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said 120 of the 260 Democrats were former state lawmakers.
Last updated on January 3, 2025 at 4:56 p.m
