Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in an interview with Politico, saying that he and the Democrat leader have "more in common than people might think."
The post Mike Johnson: Hakeem Jeffries and I ‘Have a Lot More in Common’ than Most Think appeared first on Breitbart.
Breitbart’s Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle discusses how House Democrats saved Mike Johnson's speakership by voting to table a motion introduced by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene calling for Johnson to vacate the chair.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 532: Breitbart’s Matt Boyle on the Attempt to Oust House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can breathe a little easier now that more than 80% of his House colleagues put an end to the latest drama gripping Capitol Hill.
Six months after ascending to the speakership, a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly voted to table a motion to vacate the chair—the House’s terminology for removing its leader. The final vote was 359-43; seven voted present and 21 others didn’t cast a vote. (See how your representative voted.)
“Hopefully, this is the end of the personality politics and the frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s vote. “It’s regrettable. It’s not who we are as Americans and we’re better than this. We need to get beyond it.”
Don’t count on it.
Johnson may have survived the vote, but the anger toward him among some Republicans likely won’t subside anytime soon.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who offered the motion to vacate, bemoaned the “uniparty” that saved the speaker.
Petty squabbles and personal recriminations are nothing new for the House of Representatives. History offers many lessons. But today’s divisions—among the majority party, nonetheless—seem irreparable.
The GOP’s narrow House majority after the November 2022 election emboldened rank-and-file conservatives to demand much-needed changes. After multiple rounds of voting in January 2023, then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy acquiesced to their requests and secured the votes needed to be speaker.
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With any member of the narrowly divided House able to initiate the process of removing the speaker, it was perhaps inventible that Johnson would eventually face the same scenario as McCarthy. And when Johnson opted to rely on Democrats to pass bills, that’s precisely what happened.
To avoid a showdown, Johnson reportedly spent hours meeting with Greene this week, only to have her deliver a fiery floor speech that was met by a chorus of boos and jeers. When she wasn’t being interrupted, Greene accused the speaker of selling out his party and turning over House control to Democrats.
Sitting by her side, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., repeatedly came to Greene’s aid.
Their grievances against Johnson include his decision to pass government spending bills with Democrat support, expel embattled New York Republican George Santos from the House, and advance a $95 billion foreign aid bill over the objections of conservatives.
Greene even managed to work in a defense of ousted Speaker McCarthy, whom both she and Massie considered an ally. Hours later, Massie doubled down on their defense of McCarthy by contrasting him as a favorable option to Johnson.
Sorry, Mr. Speaker, personality politics reign supreme.
In reality, Johnson will never know just how many Republicans want to see him gone beyond Greene, Massie, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. That’s because before Greene’s motion to vacate came to vote, the House opted to table it.
Of the 11 Republicans against motion to table, only a few explained their vote. But it’s safe to say not all were aligned with Greene, despite what Massie suggested.
At least three said not to interpret their opposition as an indication of their feelings toward Johnson.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, opposed Greene’s motion to vacate even though he joined her on the procedural vote. “One should not be viewed as a proxy for the other,” he said.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., declared her opposition to Green’s motion to vacate but opposed the effort to table it. “I fought a lot to change Pelosi rules and have more accountability on the speaker in Congress,” she explained.
And finally, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., put it bluntly when he said that “joining Democrats in a motion to table was more than I could stomach.”
While Johnson’s critics will continue to complain that Democrats helped save him, more Republicans had his back Wednesday.
So where does Johnson go from here?
He most certainly shouldn’t let Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., dictate the chamber’s agenda for the next six month. Across the halls of the Capitol, Senate Democrats are already plotting to change the narrative on border security, one of President Joe Biden’s greatest vulnerabilities.
A sustained effort by the House to elevate the issue of illegal immigration is needed now more than ever. Republicans took an important step Wednesday to pass the Equal Representation Act, which prevents illegal aliens from influencing congressional representation and the Electoral College.
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Those same lawmakers must redouble their efforts on other fronts, including the strong measures already adopted in the Secure the Border Act (HR 2).
With only a few must-pass pieces of legislation remaining this Congress, there’s precious little time to squander the opportunity.
The post House of Drama: Speaker Johnson Survives Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Ouster Attempt appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) officially owes his gavel to Democrats.
The post Democrats Save Johnson: 163 Votes to Continue Johnson’s Coalition Government appeared first on Breitbart.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has filed a privileged motion to vacate the chair, forcing the House to vote within two legislative days to eject Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The post MTG Pulls the Trigger, Forces the House to Vote to Expel Speaker Johnson appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson faces the crescendo in his battle to maintain the grip on his gavel as he endeavors to blunt conservative criticism.
The post Mike Johnson, Self-Crowned ‘Most Conservative’ Speaker, Fights for Political Life, Democrats Rush to His Rescue appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) failed to concede to Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) after a two-hour meeting Monday in which the duo continued pressing for Johnson to resign and end his coalition government with Democrats.
The post Irreconcilable Differences: Johnson on Brink of Permanent Power Sharing Agreement with Democrats as MTG, Massie Meeting Fails to Produce Accord with Republicans appeared first on Breitbart.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Monday she supports Democrat efforts to keep Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in power.
The post Nancy Pelosi Backs Mike Johnson for Speaker appeared first on Breitbart.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took a victory lap on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday to brag about wrestling away control of the House from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The post Democrats Run House Agenda as Hakeem Jeffries Brags: ‘Those Are Just the Facts’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) supports retaliating against Republicans who oppose him, he reportedly told high-dollar donors Sunday at the swanky Four Seasons in Washington.
The post Mike Johnson Plots Revenge and Retaliation Against Republicans Who Vote Against the Democrat Agenda appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) committed "three betrayals" to lead to the upcoming vote to eject him from the speakership, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said Wednesday.
The post Thomas Massie Exposes the ‘Three Betrayals’ of Mike Johnson appeared first on Breitbart.
Embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will face a historic vote next week in the House of Representatives to remove his gavel and strip him of the Speakership, is plummeting among Republicans and supporters of former President Donald Trump and surging among Democrats and supporters of Democrat President Joe Biden.
The post Polls Show Mike Johnson’s Betrayals Have Fueled Historic Approval Plummeting Among Republicans, Surge Among Democrats appeared first on Breitbart.
Speaker Mike Johnson earned the endorsement of House Democrat Leadership Tuesday. He will need to cash in on that endorsement only days later.
The post MTG and Massie Prepare to Strike, Will Force Johnson Expulsion Vote ‘Next Week’ appeared first on Breitbart.
The newly installed chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is already backing down from his pledge to spend “every day” of 2024 to elect presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump as president again to instead spend most of Tuesday trying
The post Report: RNC Chair Michael Whatley Backs Off Pledge to Spend ‘All Day Every Day’ Working to Elect Donald Trump to Instead Try to Save Mike Johnson appeared first on Breitbart.
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said Tuesday on CNN's "The Lead" that there is no difference if House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) or Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has the top spot.
The post Lauren Boebert: ‘It Makes No Difference’ if Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries Is Speaker appeared first on Breitbart.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that the United States and Ukrainian governments are "working on a bilateral security agreement" that would result in sending additional monetary aid to Ukraine over the next ten years.
The post Zelensky Reveals U.S. and Ukraine ‘Working’ on Scheme for 10 Years of Military Aid appeared first on Breitbart.
It’s no secret that Congress is highly unpopular with the American people. For years, it consistently has ranked near the bottom of U.S. institutions. This month’s Gallup/Newsweek poll put its disapproval at 80%.
But how about its leaders?
Veteran pollster and TV host Scott Rasmussen, president of RMG Research, surveyed 2,000 registered voters last week to see how Congress’ four party leaders stack up.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the longest-serving party leader in the chamber’s history, fares the worst with a 58% unfavorable rating. His counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., comes in at 43%.
On the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the newest of the four congressional leaders, has a 31% unfavorable rating compared to 26% for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
More than 1 in 5 voters (22%) say they never heard of Johnson, while nearly one-third (31%) say they haven’t heard of Jeffries.
All four congressional leaders have a higher unfavorable rating than favorable.
Rasmussen also asked voters about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, neither of whom received positive marks. Disapproval was higher for Biden, at 57%, compared to Harris, who has a 53% unfavorable rating.
Biden’s numbers have hovered around the same mark for months, although they are slightly better today than a few months ago, according to Rasmussen’s tracker.
The president ended last year with a 61% disapproval rate. Harris’ approval, meanwhile, cracked 40% for the first time in nearly a year.
Among the congressional leaders, Johnson’s favorable rating is 29% compared to 31% unfavorable. Jeffries is viewed favorably by 24% of voters compared to 26% unfavorable.
Schumer has a 32% favorable rating and 43% unfavorable rating. McConnell, who tops the charts with a 58% unfavorable rating, is viewed favorably by 23%.
RMG Research’s survey of 2,000 registered voters was conducted April 22 to 25 as Congress was considering a $95 billion foreign aid package. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
The post Can You Guess the Most Unpopular Leader in Congress? appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Speaker Mike Johnson has transitioned to the "opposite direction" and is "not on the side of the field" that he hoped, Sen. Mike Lee said.
The post Exclusive — Mike Lee: Speaker Mike Johnson ‘Full Equity Partner in the Firm’ of Schumer, McConnell, Jeffries appeared first on Breitbart.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on this week's broadcast on "Fox News Sunday" that Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) aid package that included for Ukraine would not have passed the House without help from former President Donald Trump.
The post Graham: Ukraine Aid ‘Would Not Have Passed Without Donald Trump’ appeared first on Breitbart.
In a stunning historical development, Democrats seized upon a Republican surrender to take control of the agenda of the House floor.
The post Mike Johnson Surrenders: Democrats Seize Control of House Floor appeared first on Breitbart.