Chicago December 24, 2024
Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson are urging President-elect Trump to publicly support Johnson as he faces a tough battle to keep his job as House Speaker. Johnson needs Trump’s backing to avoid a long and messy fight that could delay the certification of Trump’s own election victory.
The House will vote on the speaker’s position on January 3, and then certify the election results on January 6. Johnson is facing opposition from some Republicans who are unhappy with his handling of government funding. His predecessor had to go through 14 votes to win the speaker’s position.
Recently, Congress avoided a partial government shutdown by passing a bill to extend the federal funding deadline to March 14. However, some Republicans, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris and Rep. Michael Cloud, have hinted that they may not support Johnson.
Despite the challenges, top Trump allies like Sen. Ted Cruz have come to Johnson’s defense, calling him “the most conservative Speaker of the House we’ve had in our lifetime.” Cruz warned that if Johnson is replaced, the next speaker will be more liberal. Johnson became the 56th Speaker of the House on October 25, 2023, after Kevin McCarthy was removed from the position ¹.
