Speaker Mike Johnson‘s path to remain in power is in jeopardy after several Republicans are saying they aren’t going to back him as leader.
Earlier this month, the Republican leader took a lot of flak from party heavyweights like President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk for trying to rush through a controversial spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
During the process Musk, along with many other Republicans, tanked Johnson’s initial 1,547-page bill calling it bloated and filled with Democrat priorities.
That put Johnson on rocky ground with Trump, who called it a ‘win’ for Democrats and urged the GOP to stand firm despite a quickly-approaching government shutdown.
The speaker was forced to renegotiate the deal at the last minute, sparking anger on the left and the right.
A massively trimmed down version of the bill eventually passed the House, but Republicans are now unsure Johnson is the man to lead them next year.
And he may only survive the speakership vote if Trump publicly backs him and gets MAGA lawmakers onboard.
House Speaker Mike Johnson raced Friday to prevent a government shutdown due to bite within hours, after Donald Trump and Elon Musk sabotaged a bipartisan agreement that would have kept the lights on well beyond Christmas. Now some House members are unsure of Johnson’s leadership abilities
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., leaves the office of Speaker Mike Johnson. He told DailyMail.com he was not going to vote for Johnson’s re-election to the speakership
President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have had a cozy relationship since the November election. Before Christmas the duo both ridiculed Johnson’s last-minute 1,547-page spending plan before he cut it down to just 118 pages
Before Christmas Trump teased that he’s in favor of Johnson remaining speaker.
He wrote on Truth Social that Johnson could ‘easily remain speaker’ if he threw out the ‘traps set by Democrats’ in the bill, which he did.
But Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com he is firmly against voting for Johnson to retain the speaker’s gavel.
He explained that he is against Johnson because the leader continues to put stop-gap spending bills on the floor as opposed to passing the normally required annual appropriations bills.
‘That [1,547] page bill was a product of the swamp that uniparty Johnson was happy to facilitate,’ Massie said in a recent X post. ‘He couldn’t understand why we didn’t lap it up.’
Walking through the halls of the Capitol with DailyMail.com before the Christmas recess, the Kentucky Republican revealed that at least three House GOP members have come to him ‘grumbling about Johnson.’
Though he did not name any GOP members specifically, he indicated that there are more than enough unhappy Republicans to tank Johnson’s bid for the speakership come early January.
Next Congress, Republicans will have a minuscule three-seat majority, meaning Johnson could only lose one other vote in addition to Massie’s ‘no.’
And more than one House Republican has expressed their distaste for Johnson.
Trump said if Johnson ‘acts decisively and tough’ and overcomes ‘all of the traps being set by Democrats’ in negotiating a government funding deal he could ‘easily remain speaker’
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana, speaks to the media during a vote on a revised continuing resolution bill at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on December 19, 2024
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said that ‘every day’ Johnson’s speakership is in question. He said he has not made a decision as to whether he will support the speaker’s re-election
When asked by reporters if Johnson’s leadership is in question Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of the eight GOP House members that voted to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, confirmed it is.
‘Every day it is,’ he shot back, noting how next Congress the Republican advantage will be smaller, and therefore Johnson’s chances of retaining power are slimmer.
‘I mean, we only have three person lead,’ he reasoned. ‘But ultimately, and let’s be honest, a large portion of that will be up to Trump.’
Burchett said if Trump backs Johnson at the time, then the speaker has a good chance at retaining his position in power.
When asked if he will commit to supporting Johnson, Burchett responded: ‘I’ll make that decision in January.’
During the government funding debacle Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., also aired her frustration with the speaker to reporters.
She said there was ‘zero communication from leadership to the membership’ about the ever-changing process.
‘Something should change before January 3,’ she said, referencing the day of the speakership vote.
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., also have not committed to backing Johnson.
On the other side of Congress, the speaker is getting a similar treatment.
‘Speaker Mike Johnson is a friend but he lost control of the House,’ Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a recent interview. ‘He can’t remain in power.’
‘Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy should be speaker,’ Lee continued.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., gave a similar assessment, posting on X that the speaker of the House does not need to be a lawmaker.
‘Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible,’ he states, adding there would be ‘joy’ at seeing the ‘collective establishment lose their ever-lovin’ minds.’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who threatened to oust Jonson earlier in the year over a similar government funding battle, said she is in support of Paul’s proposal.
If Massie, MTG, Malliotakis and Burchett come out against Johnson during the January 3 vote, it would effectively kill his chances of re-election.
Though, given that none of the lawmakers have offered an alternative to Johnson, he still might have what it takes to win the speakership again.
Other Republicans, meanwhile, have signaled their support for the speaker.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called Johnson ‘the most conservative Speaker of the House we’ve seen in our lifetimes’ in a recent post on X.
Support for the speaker has also come from many in the House.
‘Folks who don’t support Mike Johnson on January 3 only weaken the Republican Conference and strengthen Hakeem Jeffries,’ Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told the Washington Reporter.
