Who Is Mike Johnson? New US Speaker of the House

Table Of Content

• Morehouse College Prepares for 135th Annual Commencement Ceremony
• His role in promoting 2020 election denial
• House speaker calls for Columbia University president's resignation amid ongoing protests
• Louisiana's Mike Johnson elected speaker of the U.S. House, ending weeks of chaos
• A Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate
• Mike Johnson and the troubled history of recent Republican speakers

Additionally, he has contributed to academia as an adjunct professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department at the College. Since assuming leadership of Fellowship Chicago in December 2019, Pastor Sharpe has overseen remarkable growth, even amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Notably, he spearheaded #TheVirtualShip, a virtual extension of the church's ministry, engaging an average audience of 25,000 people weekly.

Morehouse College Prepares for 135th Annual Commencement Ceremony

By Tuesday afternoon, some Morehouse alumni were circulating an online letter that condemns the administration’s invitation to Biden and seeking signatures to pressure Morehouse President David Thomas to rescind it. The White House confirmed Tuesday that Biden would speak May 19 at the alma mater of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., and then address the graduating class at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 25. The visit came as college campuses continue to be roiled by protests and tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war.

His role in promoting 2020 election denial

His predecessor, Frederick Gillett of Massachusetts, also had the top job for less than five years. But when he left after the 1924 session, his party was still firmly in control and had just elected President Calvin Coolidge to a full term. The next two Republican speakers would be John Boehner, elevated to the job by the GOP recapture of the House in the "Tea Party" election of 2010. Boehner worked hard to fashion budget deals with both a Democratic President Barack Obama and a Democratic Senate. But his efforts alienated some in his own ranks who in 2015 formed an insurgent group known as the House Freedom Caucus. Increasingly exasperated with his untenable predicament, Boehner simply resigned in October of that year.

House speaker calls for Columbia University president's resignation amid ongoing protests

Johnson is close to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who strategized with Trump on how to overturn his presidential defeat and lost his own bid for speaker earlier this week after moderates in the conference revolted. A constitutional lawyer and former member of the Louisiana state House, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. He is the first Louisianan to become speaker and the first Southerner to serve as speaker since Republican Newt Gingrich of Georgia in the 1990s. Free from the political baggage that can come with a higher profile, the affable Johnson, 51, promises to restore faith in Congress as he assumes the speakership under remarkable circumstances. He’s taking charge after three weeks of infighting, other failed candidacies and no action on legislation.

Who is House Speaker Mike Johnson? - The Hill

Who is House Speaker Mike Johnson?.

Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Johnson, R-La., was nominated Tuesday after three previous nominees flamed out. He unified the fractious Republican Conference, winning votes from right-wing detractors of McCarthy, R-Calif., as well as centrist Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Instead, he moved quickly to bring up a resolution expressing solidarity and support for Israel. His next order of business, he said, would be addressing what he called the country’s “broken border” with Mexico. He made no mention of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, or of the impending government shutdown that will begin next month if Congress fails to pass legislation to keep the government funded.

Many of the protesters are demanding universities to divest financial holdings in Israel. At Columbia, demonstrators have taken over a portion of the New York City campus, creating an encampment. "If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard," he said. Johnson, who also met with Jewish students before his remarks, said he planned to call President Biden later Wednesday to urge him to take action, adding that the National Guard may need to be deployed.

First, they are the most visible and authoritative spokesperson for the majority party in the House. Speakers articulate an agenda and explain legislative action to other Washington officials as well as the public. They oversee House committee assignments and collaborate with the powerful House Rules Committee to structure floor debate. Greene responded to accusations that her push would fuel more chaos for congressional Republicans by arguing that House Republicans would lose the majority in November if Johnson remained at the helm. "We need leaders in the House of Representatives that are gonna get this done," Greene said, holding up a red "Make America Great Again" hat.

Two colleagues had spoken up to say they would join Greene in such a vote, giving her enough to defeat the speaker if all the chamber's Democrats voted to do the same. That's what the Democrats did when a motion to vacate the chair ousted the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last fall. After McCarthy was removed, the Republican conference held a closed-door, secret ballot vote for a new speaker nominee between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and right-wing Rep. Jim Jordan, which Scalise won. While not one of the highest-ranking members of Republican leadership in the House, Johnson currently serves as the vice chair of the Republican conference, having won election from his fellow GOP members. With less than seven years under his belt, Johnson has a shorter length of service in the House than past speakers in modern history.

Who Is Jim Jordan, the Conservative Vying for House Speaker? - Voice of America - VOA News

Who Is Jim Jordan, the Conservative Vying for House Speaker?.

Posted: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

That group wrote an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the Lawrence v. Texas case in which the court overturned state-level bans on same-sex intercourse. Like most of his GOP colleagues, Johnson voted against certifying the electoral college results from Arizona and Pennsylvania, even after a mob ransacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Louisiana Republican became the party's nominee after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer's candidacy was derailed by former President Donald Trump, who called Emmer a "RINO" as dozens of hardliners made clear they were not ready to support his candidacy.

On Tuesday, ABC reporter Rachel Scott tried to ask Johnson whether he stood by those efforts, leading the Republicans gathered around him to drown out her question with laughter and booing. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Johnson voted against certifying Biden’s victory in two states. Johnson is a ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and made multiple attempts to swing the results of the 2020 election following Trump’s loss to Joe Biden. Johnson’s controversial 2015 marriage bill failed, but the media attention surrounding it caught the eye of Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council evangelical activist group. House seat representing Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District in 2016 and easily defeated Democratic candidate Marshall Jones with 65 percent of the vote.

Democratic leaders have indicated they are open to this, and it essentially repeats the strategy that allowed Johnson to pass the Ukraine portion of the aid bill earlier this month. He voted against bipartisan legislation to codify same-sex marriage, which Biden signed into law last year. Among the more conservative members of the GOP conference, Johnson has consistently opposed a woman’s right to abortion — “we will get the number of abortions to ZERO!! ” he posted on Twitter, now known as X, earlier this year, referencing the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the nationwide right to an abortion. He also opposed legislation last year that would require states to recognize same sex marriages that were legal where they were performed.

Since then, Stefanik has led the charge among Republicans, pushing for the resignation of the university leaders. The presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard have already resigned. And last week, Columbia's president became the latest to testify before Congress. University leaders have been toeing a line on how to express disdain about antisemitic language and enforce university policies while also allowing students to practice free speech, as they face accusations that colleges are not doing enough to protect Jewish students. And tensions have reached a fever pitch at some of the nation's most prestigious universities in recent days as the demonstrations have worn on. "I think it's a kinetic situation. And Hakeem and the entire Democrat leadership team endorsing Mike Johnson is going to cause a lot of people who weren't with us, to be with us," Massie said.