Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) has retained the Speakership in the House of Representatives, narrowly winning in a mostly party-line vote on the first ballot after some negotiation from members who originally voted no. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s formal endorsement of the re-election bid is believed to have been critical in unifying the House Republican Caucus behind Johnson.
Early Friday morning, Johnson and key allies scrambled to shore up votes among Republican lawmakers, leaving the prospects of his re-election as Speaker in doubt. However, a last-minute push by Trump—including phone calls to key Republican members and a post on Truth Social reaffirming his support—moved skeptics of Johnson to drop their opposition. Just before the vote, several outspoken opponents of Johnson reversed course and backed him for Speaker, citing the need to implement Trump’s White House agenda.
Conservative lawmakers, angry over Johnson’s handling of the recent continuing resolution to provide short-term funding for the federal government, had threatened to derail the Speaker election. Responding to the continued backlash just before the vote, Johnson issued three significant commitments to the Republican Caucus to assuage their concerns.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Speaker-elect wrote that he will establish “a working group comprised of independent experts – not corrupted by lobbyists and special interests – to work with DOGE and our committees on implementing recommended government and spending reforms to protect the American taxpayer.”
Additionally, Johson states he will charge “that working group with reviewing existing audits of federal agencies and entities created by Congress—and issuing a report to my office for public release.” He also pledged that he would ensure “House committees undertake aggressive authorizations and appropriations reviews, including providing additional resources where needed, to expose irresponsible or illegal practices and hold agencies/individuals accountable that have weaponized government against the American people. “
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