Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
President of the Chamber Mike Johnson faces an uphill battle to retain the gavel on Friday, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Despite narrowly clinging to a Republican majority, Johnson’s speakership hangs in the balance after a series of moves to fund the government angered conservatives over the failure of the effort to cut spending .
The day of the inauguration of the 119th Congressthe House will vote on a measure to elect a new speaker, and Americans will see a strange glimpse of the drama erupting in the House. C-SPAN has received permission to operate cameras inside the chamber.
If all members vote, Johnson can afford only one Republican defection and still keep his job. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already said he will not vote for Johnson.
House Speaker Mike Johnson faces an uphill battle to retain the gavel on Friday, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
While other Republicans have declined to affirm their support for Johnson, none have joined Massie in publicly vowing not to vote for him.
“I will talk to Mike and raise my concerns. At this point, I’m still undecided,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.
Trump this week gave Johnson his “full and complete endorsement,” and the speaker’s vote will test his hold on the new Congress.
Adding to the pressure is uncertainty about what an extended speakership would mean for the incoming president. Congress has never certified a presidential election without a speaker at the helm.
TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL APPROVAL’ TO ADVANCE READINESS FIGHT
Rep. Chip Roy told X that he’s also “still undecided” about Johnson as speaker.
“But something HAS to change,” he added. “We cannot allow what happened just before Christmas, where they tried to jam a bill of over 1500 pages over our objections … all of this could have been avoided with serious planning and communication.”
Johnson, however, said he is confident he will get enough votes.
“We’re going to get through it,” Johnson said Thursday on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.” “We’re shifting to a whole new paradigm. We have a unified government starting tomorrow. We have the White House, the Senate and the House. A completely different situation than what we’ve dealt with in the last 14 months since I have So we’re excited to introduce the America first agenda. It starts on day one, and it all starts tomorrow.”
Johnson met with several potential GOP holdovers Thursday in the speaker’s office, including Reps. Victoria Spartz, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andy Harris, Andy Ogles, Michael Cloud and Eli Crane.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump on stage at a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Last month, Johnson scrambled to pass legislation to avoid a government shutdown and restart the March funding deadline. Although ultimately successful, the House went through three iterations of a continuing resolution before finally deciding one that could happen with the help of Democrats, who compensated the 34 angry GOP defectors.
Congress objected original expense invoice of 1,500 pages then defeated a narrow 116-page bill, which Trump endorsed. Things got worse when the House mustered only a scant 174 yes votes for the Trump-backed bill, with 38 Republicans voting against it.
Circumstances escalated further when the House voted to avoid a government holiday shutdown, but passed the bill with more Democrats (196) than Republicans (170). Thirty-four Republicans voted against it.
Rep. Thomas Massie has vowed to vote against House Speaker Mike Johnson. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
About a dozen House Republicans have not pledged to vote for Johnson, and Fox News predicts this week that between four and 10 could end up voting against him.
“The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all the destructive policies of the last administration. President Mike Johnson is a good, hard-working, religious man,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my full and total endorsement. MAGIC!!!”
Johnson survived a test for his speakership in May when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., launched a motion to vacate, forcing a vote to reaffirm him as House leader. Eleven Republicans then voted against him, and 10 more did not vote.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, Democrats came to his rescue at the time, a prospect that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has dismissed this time around.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
