Republican Mike Johnson, representative of Louisiana’s 4th district, was elected leader of the House of Representatives on Wednesday after three weeks of chaos in the US Congress.
Johnson, who was unanimously elected by all Republicans present, said the first bill he will introduce will be a show of support for “our dear friend Israel,” which he characterized as his greatest ally in the Middle East. And that’s what happened.
The House of Representatives has approved a resolution strengthening support for Israel and demanding that the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas cease its attacks on the Jewish state. Delegates approved the resolution on Israel by 412 votes to 10.
The text, the first adopted after Mike Johnson’s appointment, recognizes that Israel is a strategic partner of the US and that the House of Commons is on its side in its defense against the “brutal war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.” and calls on all countries to “unequivocally” condemn this aggression.
The congressmen urged Hamas to immediately “cease the violent attacks” and safely release the surviving hostages and return the bodies of the deceased.
In his first post-election speech, the leader of the House of Representatives declared: “We are ready to get back to work and solve the people’s problems.”
“We will restore people’s confidence in this Chamber,” Mike Johnson added.
He pledged to decentralize power in the lower house and work with Democrats to find common areas and possible consensus.
But the new chairman also issued a statement promising that the Republican majority will “advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the Biden administration’s harmful policies, and support America’s international allies.”
Johnson received 220 votes, uniting the various factions that had thus far proven unavailable to support a single candidate in light of the historic impeachment of Kevin McCarthy in early October.
The congressman will lead a slim majority in a divided chamber, with 221 Republicans and 214 Democrats, and will have to solve the issue of the temporary budget, which expires on November 17.
The Democratic candidate, Hakeem Jeffries, received 209 votes. The Democratic minority leader said the time has come to “end the games” and get back to work in the House of Representatives.
The new leader, 51 years old, belongs to the most conservative wing of the Republican majority and is considered a fierce ally of Donald Trump. He led the initiative signed by more than 100 Republican members of Congress in support of the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and defended the former president during impeachment.
The New York Times described him in 2022 as “the chief architect of objections to the Electoral College.”
Reacting to Mike Johnson’s election, President Joe Biden said he was not concerned about the possibility that the new chairman would try to block his certification if he is re-elected in 2024.
“No, because you can’t,” Biden told reporters. “I know how the Constitution works.”
Despite his role in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Johnson did not gain national prominence, unlike previous nominee Jim Jordan, which may have helped him achieve unanimity among Republicans.
Socially, Johnson is more conservative than Kevin McCarthy, but he has not created antibodies among moderates because he is seen as less caustic and antagonistic.
Although not part of the radical Freedom Caucus, it advocates strict restrictions on abortion rights, protections against people who discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community, and has introduced a bill that would limit discussion of sexual identity or orientation in federal states prohibit. funded institutions.
Johnson was the fourth nominee for the position after the failure of Jim Jordan and the withdrawal of Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer, the latter after Trump spoke out against him. Emmer was among the members of Congress who agreed to certify Joe Biden’s 2021 election.
Facing the threat of a federal government shutdown in November, Mike Johnson will have to coordinate members of Congress on financial aid packages for Ukraine and Israel, both involved in wars with no end in sight.
He is deputy Republican majority leader and a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
Source: DN
