“The people’s House is back in business,” says the new Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA).
After three weeks of fighting over who would wield the Speaker’s gavel, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana has come out on top. On October 25, 2023, Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) was elected as the Speaker of the House. Without losing a single GOP vote on Wednesday, Johnson has seemingly united the very divided Republican party.
Johnson is a well-liked member of leadership, and has presented himself as a policy-oriented, principled conservative. Among the eight Republicans who made a pitch for the position, Johnson (R-La.) has seen the greatest share of his sponsored bills become law — 6.5%.
As a Congressman, Speaker Johnson represents the northwest and western regions of Louisiana. Prior to his election to Congress in 2016, Speaker Johnson was an attorney and served in the Louisiana State Legislature from 2015 to 2017. Johnson has served 4 consecutive terms in Congress, and currently serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role.
While not the party’s initial for the gavel, the deeply religious and even-tempered Johnson has few foes and an important GOP backer: Donald Trump. “I think he’s gonna be a fantastic speaker,” Trump said Wednesday at the New York courthouse where the former president, who is now the Republican front-runner for president in 2024, is on trial over a lawsuit alleging business fraud.
Despite the dog and pony show of the last few weeks, lawmakers are eager to move on to the next big fight— federal funding legislation. The United States federal government risks a shutdown if Congress fails to pass funding legislation by a Nov. 17 deadline to keep services running.
Even more pressingly, President Biden has asked Congress to provide $105 billion in aid to help Israel and Ukraine amid their wars, as well as shoring up the U.S. border with Mexico. Federal aviation and farming programs also face expiration without immediate congressional action.