Analysis | House finally elects new Speaker after weeks of chaos, upheaval
Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson was recently elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives after three weeks of vacancy in the position. Photo courtesy of Wikicommons
With the House of Representatives still facing pressing issues, including a consensus on budgetary legislation to prevent a looming government shutdown and aid to Israel and Ukraine, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson was elected as the 56th House Speaker on Oct. 25 with a unanimous Republican majority.
With previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy ousted nine months after his elected speakership and the following three-week vacancy of the speakership, Johnson’s victory came with a 220-209 vote.
The previous speaker candidates who ran and dropped out from the speakership included House majority leader Steve Scalise and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, along with Tom Emmer, the majority whip and representative of Minnesota’s sixth district.
Prior to his elected speakership, Johnson represented Louisiana’s fourth congressional district, which includes the state’s northwest and western regions. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. Johnson was also the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference in 2021.
Fred Smoller, an associate professor of political science at Chapman University, offered his insight on the new speakership.
“One interpretation is that Mike Johnson is a wonderful piñata,” Smoller said. “He is very socially conservative, anti-women’s rights, anti-LGBT community, and most importantly, a climate change denier. He (also) believes Donald Trump won the election.”
Although Congress narrowly passed a stopgap spending bill on Oct. 1 to avert a government shutdown, Congress has until Nov. 17 to appropriately find a consensus on budgetary spending on the 12 appropriation bills in order to avert another shutdown.
Johnson was among a majority of Republicans who opposed the stopgap spending bill. As he recently campaigned for speakership, Johnson suggested that he would support a temporary measure for government funding to continue through January or April to allow more time for all 12 appropriation bills to pass.
Fowler School of Law professor Thomas Campbell commented on the importance of the speakership role in carrying out congressional duties and responsibilities.
“Individual appropriation bills have to be passed every year,” Campbell said. “It’s going to the government to operate, and they have not been. And so, government funding will shut down within two weeks. That was the most critical reason for having to fill the speakership and then also provide aid to Israel and aid to Ukraine.”
The White House recommended Congress pass $105 billion in aid to Israel and Ukraine as well as other national security needs. The measure includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion for Ukraine, including funds for Taiwan and U.S. border security.
Campbell predicted Johnson’s efforts to handle aid to Ukraine and Israel after his elected speakership.
“The bill will pass because the Democrats are overwhelmingly in favor of both the aid to Ukraine and Israel... So, that’s the first test and perhaps the greatest test that Speaker Johnson will have if the Republicans don’t favor the united bill,” Campbell told The Panther.
Before he was elected as speaker, Johnson voted last month to cut off aid to Ukraine. On Oct. 29, after his speakership, Johnson said that he expects the House to advance a funding bill to support Israel, despite President Joe Biden’s funding aid package for both Israel and Ukraine combined.
Chapman associate history professor William Cumiford shared his thoughts on Johnson after expressing consistent polarization and disagreement within the House of Representatives.
“We have hope; that’s about all we have got right now,” Cumiford said. “We have to see how things unfold, so hopefully this new leader will be able to bring the factions together. It didn’t work with Kevin McCarthy. It took 15 votes back in January and then, that still didn’t work. It didn’t last out the year. So, will this new person be able to do this?”
“We have hope; that’s about all we have got right now. We have to see how things unfold, so hopefully this new leader will be able to bring the factions together. It didn’t work with Kevin McCarthy. It took 15 votes back in January and then, that still didn’t work. It didn’t last out the year. So, will this new person be able to do this?”
