pepublicans on Capitol Hill You have a reputation for not accomplishing much. January 3, the first day of the 119th Congress, much fighting occurred. Surprisingly, home Republican Party I also managed to accomplish something – the previously simple process of electing their leader. However, a victory for Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, seems paltry compared to the legislative battles to come.
The record will show that Mr Johnson won almost unlimited support from his party on the first ballot, a significant improvement on the 15 round of voting it took his predecessor, Kevin McCarthytwo years ago. But winning will require months of pressure, and help from Donald Trump. Uncertainty prevailed until a few minutes before Mr. Johnson secured the crossing.
Every Democrat supports Hakeem Jeffries, their leader. Three Republicans initially chose someone besides Mr. Johnson, who could only lose a single vote given the Republicans.” Minnikin majority. Six hardline conservatives initially chose not to vote at all. If that dynamic holds, Mr. Jeffries will be elected speaker despite Democrats’ minority of seats in the chamber. So non-voters declared agitatedly that they would return Mr. Johnson—registering discontent, but not enough to elect a Democratic speaker.
Proceedings were halted when Mr Johnson caucus with two ‘no’ votes. (The third was considered hopeless, after I said “You can pull out all my nails, you can lift bamboo in them… I’m not voting for Mike Johnson.”) One member took her cell phone into the group. Mr. Trump, on the golf course, was asking members not to shape his legislative agenda. While Mr. Trump did not threaten them, they agreed to change course. About 15 minutes later, Mr. Johnson was elected speaker.
Conservative hardliners brought a host of complaints about Mr. Johnson similar to those about Mr. McCarthy. They see him as a leader who does not meet the needs of their leaning and burning wing of the party. Although there appears to be no budget she is willing to support, she criticizes him for relying on Democratic votes to approve must-have legislation. Firebrands’ requirements usually revolve around vague rule changes to increase their influence and undermine a last-minute deal. However, to secure their votes, Johnson only made general assurances rather than Quid pro Quo.
Many insurrectionists, including some who ultimately voted for Mr. Johnson outright, signed a letter on Friday declaring that they supported Mr. Johnson to secure a certificate of presidential victory for Mr. Trump, “despite our sincere reservations about the speaker’s track record.” They have outlined policy demands and procedural changes they would like to see, even including good government reforms such as a ban on stock exchange trading by members of Congress. “There is always room for negotiation on so-called ‘command’ positions and requested the house. In other words, support for the rebels cannot be taken for granted in the future,” the letter concluded.
That will be important in a busy year. Republicans have a state budget to pass, a debt ceiling to raise and defense spending to approve. That’s the bare minimum before they deal with ambitious immigration and energy legislation and a complex renewal of Mr. Trump’s tax cuts. All of these challenges have plenty of opportunities to alienate conservatives and moderates alike, meaning each big vote could be as dramatic as Mr. Johnson’s investment.
There is no doubt that the first day of Congress is a win for the speaker, but one ominous fact hangs over the proceedings. Nine Republicans showed a willingness to photograph the speaker, which happens to be exactly the number needed to force a vote on whether to oust him under new rules approved by House leadership. Mr Johnson is in control now, but members of his party have shown they will not keep him simply out of loyalty. ■
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