Republicans once again display their internal divisions at the opening of the new legislature in the United States. Congressmen from the majority party have settled into the drama for the election of Mike Johnson as speaker of the House of Representatives. Only after a long wait and pressure and negotiations on a group of wayward parliamentarians was the candidate supported by Donald Trump able to be elected in the first vote, finally managing to impose his authority.
Three congressmen initially left the fold, so the candidate had not received enough support after everyone voted. However, congressmen can change the direction of their vote until the vote is officially closed. The ghost of 2023, when 15 votes were needed to elect speakerKevin McCarthy, reappeared and Trump and Johnson’s allies prepared to conjure him up.
Before the vote, Democrats and Republicans celebrated with a joint ovation and shouts of joy the announcement by the acting Secretary of the House that Matt Gaetz, Republican congressman from Florida, would not take up his seat, following his relationship scandal sexual relations with a minor, prostitution and drug use. That resignation left the House with 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats. If two members of Johnson’s party did not vote for him, the election failed. Finally, in addition to Thomas Massie, who had already anticipated his rejection, two other congressmen (Ralph Norman and Keith Self) initially denied him their support. With 216 votes, Johnson seemed like he could not take the gavel speaker.
A frantic negotiation then began with the dissidents before the vote was closed. After conversations whose content has not been revealed, Norman and Self approached the table and changed their vote to support Johnson. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and was officially elected in the first vote with 218 votes. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries got 215. Massie, who remained the only rebel, voted for a fellow caucus, Tom Emmer.
The choice of speakerIt had been a routine procedure for a century. The majority supported their candidate and Congress began to move. Now, it has become a high-tension appointment. The difficulties in electing the president of the House of Representatives show that Trump will not have an easy time carrying out his legislative agenda. Similar shocks could occur when it comes to passing budget laws or raising the debt ceiling, which the United States is about to reach. Radical Republicans can hold Johnson hostage to their demands, and Democrats would demand a high price if they were needed to save his face.
Trump tried to lay the groundwork in the morning with a message on his social network, Truth. “Good luck today to President Mike Johnson, a good man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support. “A victory for Mike today will be a great victory for the Republican Party,” he wrote.
Johnson himself tweeted a message before the plenary meeting to try to win over potential dissidents, many of them concerned about the deterioration of public accounts. “The American people have demanded an end to the status quo and a return to fiscal sanity. That is why the citizens of our great country gave President Trump the White House and Republican control of both houses of Congress. If we do not fulfill our electoral promise of fiscal responsibility, we do not deserve to hold power,” he wrote.
“The national debt is a serious threat to America’s economic and national security, and no issue better exemplifies Congress’s failures. “Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to make significant spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud and abuse,” he added in a message that in theory was music to the ears of the congressmen most concerned about that issue.
Unlike McCarthy, who two years ago negotiated concessions with wayward congressmen, Johnson rejected that dynamic and limited himself to stating his program. Of course, he made concrete his promise to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, combat bureaucracy and put the United States on a more sustainable fiscal path in a series of commitments.
Johnson assures that he will create a working group made up of independent experts to work with the self-styled Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, and with congressional committees to implement cuts. It will task that working group with reviewing existing audits of federal agencies and entities created by Congress. It promises to “expose irresponsible or illegal practices and hold accountable agencies and individuals who have turned the government into a weapon against the American people.” In addition, he promises to hold accountable those who have wasted funds. “Republicans have a mandate to implement the America First program, and as Speaker of the House, this will be my priority,” he concluded.
That message, and Trump’s pressure, were enough for some potential dissidents to vote in favor of Johnson. Andy Harris (leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus), Chip Roy, Michael Cloud, Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar ignored the first call and reserved their votes for last, waiting to see how the vote would evolve. situation. In the end they called out the candidate’s name, but their initial abstention is also a warning that their votes cannot be taken for granted.
The inaugural session of Congress is peculiar because many parliamentarians come with their children to accompany them in the oath of office, which takes place after the election of the president of the House. Two years ago, they had to go home without witnessing that moment. This time, with some drama, they were able to leave satisfied.
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