WASHINGTON — This time was supposed to be different.
But while House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday avoided the dayslong ordeal that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, endured to become speaker, his relatively swift victory was hardly a unifying moment. The tumult of the day laid bare that Johnson retains only tenuous support from hard-line conservatives who gave him their votes for now, but stand ready to dispatch him just as they did McCarthy if their demands aren’t met.
“Is he going to fight?” said Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican who initially opposed Johnson but ultimate changed his vote.
Republicans are relishing the moment as they take unified control of Washington and rally around President-elect Donald Trump. Yet the elements that made for a turbulent House the past two years remain stubbornly in place, except that the stakes are far higher now as Republicans try to deliver on Trump’s agenda.
The scale of the conflict to come was apparent as Congress began its new session Friday. House Republicans took shots at each other on TV and argued on the House floor, the freshly elected speaker looked worried, and even after Johnson’s victory, some GOP lawmakers openly discussed what might trigger his removal.
For a time, it seemed things might get even worse.
The House chamber seemed to snap back to a familiar scene from the speakership vote two years ago as archconservatives refused to back Johnson, gesticulating while they openly negotiated on the floor. But after an hour of uncertainty and tense negotiations — as well as Trump calling in from a golf course to make clear he supported Johnson — two of the three Republicans who at first denied Johnson the speakership changed their votes to give him the majority he needed.
Norman said it was not so much Trump who changed his mind, but the fact that Johnson, as he huddled with the holdouts in the back of the House chamber, vowed that he would indeed “fight for everything going forward.”
Easier said than done.
Johnson has the difficult task of leading a Republican majority that will be even slimmer than it was in the last Congress — potentially down to a single vote, once a handful of members join Trump’s administration.
Last year, the thin majority, as well as near-constant defiance from his right flank, forced Johnson to rely on Democratic support to pass practically any significant legislation.
Johnson tried to turn the page in his first speech after winning the speaker’s gavel, arguing that Republicans are now empowered by a “groundswell of Americans” who want an end to the status quo in Washington.
“Speaker Johnson contends that in a environment where we have the White House and the Republican Senate, that he’s going to be able to go get the job done,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Johnson. “So we’ll give him a chance to see. But we need to deliver. There’s no room for any excuses now.”
Making matters more difficult, even if Johnson manages to unite his conference in the House, most legislation will still need at least some Democratic support in the Senate, where the chamber’s filibuster rules prevent most bills from advancing unless they have support from at least 60 senators. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
“He’s got a really, really tough job,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Republican leadership did ease one threat to Johnson by making it more difficult to oust the speaker through a so-called motion to vacate. Any motion will now need at least nine members from the majority party rather than being triggered by a single lawmaker. Democrats protested that Republicans are shielding the speaker from bipartisan accountability.
Still, within minutes of Johnson gaining the support he needed to take the speakership, the House Freedom Caucus released a letter signed by 11 members demanding that Johnson deliver ambitious policy goals, including enacting permanent border security changes, making aggressive federal spending cuts and banning members of Congress from stock trading.
Caucus members said Johnson now “must prove he will not fail to enact President Trump’s bold agenda.”
At the same time, conservatives are also agitating for guarantees to reduce the federal deficit as well as move power from the speaker’s office by allowing rank-and-file members greater control over what’s included in legislation. While such promises could prove hard to keep, Johnson committed to working closely with Freedom Caucus members in crafting legislation.
“Speakers typically don’t last very long,” said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a caucus member. “I would say this about Speaker Johnson: As long as this is a member-driven process, I think his speakership will be successful. If it’s not, that’s going to be tough.”
Nine conservatives initially withheld support for Johnson during the speakership vote by either staying silent while their names were called or voting for someone else. It was taken by many as a not-so-subtle message that the motion to vacate is still at hand, even with the rules change.
The warning was even raised to Johnson during a huddle over the speaker vote, Norman said.
Norman said Johnson responded: “Look, if I don’t perform like I say I’m going to perform and push the things that you’re saying, put me out. I never thought I would have this job anyway.’”
