After weeks of internal party power struggles, Republican Mike Johnson is the new leader of the US House of Representatives. The 51-year-old was elected to the powerful post, it was officially announced after the vote in the parliamentary chamber.
The hardliner and supporter of former President Donald Trump is now number three in the state ranking after the US President and his vice president. With Johnson’s election, the US Congress is back to work after more than three weeks of largely deadlock. Whether the chaos in parliament has really come to an end remains to be seen. Because Johnson is already facing his first big test.
McCarthy’s successor finally clarified
The previous chairman of the parliamentary chamber, Kevin McCarthy, was voted out of the powerful post in a historic vote at the beginning of October. Johnson was the fourth Republican candidate for the presidency after McCarthy was voted out. Three candidates previously nominated by the Republicans had dropped out due to a lack of support within their own ranks – two of them before there was even a vote in the plenary session. Republican Jim Jordan, on the other hand, endured three unsuccessful rounds in the chamber before his group removed him from the race.
The complete chaos dramatically demonstrated the fragmentation of the Republican Party, which was unable to agree on a new leader for weeks in the internal power poker. This brought the Republicans the accusation that they were completely dysfunctional and incapable of political work. Members of the Republican caucus have also expressed increasing frustration and anger in recent days.
The Republican faction finally chose Johnson as its candidate behind closed doors late on Tuesday evening. He achieved the necessary majority in the plenary session at the first attempt.
The US Republicans only have a thin majority in the House of Representatives. That’s why Republican dissidents have powerful leverage in their hands when it comes to voting. Because a Republican candidate could not count on votes from US President Joe Biden’s Democrats. The Republicans currently have 221 representatives in the House of Representatives, the Democrats 212. Not all members of the House of Representatives were present for Wednesday’s vote. Johnson needed 215 votes for an absolute majority and ultimately received 220.
Trump supporters elected
Johnson belongs to the religious right of his group. The lawyer and former radio presenter from the state of Louisiana is one of Trump’s loyal supporters. At the time, he refused to recognize Trump’s defeat by Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Johnson is anti-abortion, opposes same-sex marriage and has opposed US aid to Ukraine in the past.
Trump supported Johnson’s candidacy and praised his party colleague as smart and a great congressman who was accepted by everyone. Other Republicans from the right-wing fringe of the party also expressed joy about the appointment. Johnson said on Wednesday night after his nomination that his group was now united. “You will see that this group will work like a well-oiled machine,” he said after the internal party drama of the past few weeks. “We owe it to the American people.”
Johnson now has to get straight to work because Congress has to pass a new budget by mid-November. Otherwise there is a risk of a temporary standstill in government business – a “shutdown”. Then a transitional budget expires. This does not contain any aid for Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia.
Last week, Biden requested an aid package worth more than $100 billion (around €94.5 billion) from Congress that includes support for Ukraine and Israel. It is more than doubtful that Congress will approve the billions. A growing number of Republicans are increasingly critical of the aid to Kiev or even reject it completely.
