Washington:

Republican Mike Johnson was returned as speaker of the US House of Representatives on Friday with key support from incoming President Donald Trump, ending a bitter impasse that threatened to see the 2025 session open in chaos. was

Johnson had angered backbenchers by working with Democrats to pass the legislation, and his victory came after backroom tensions in which more than a dozen Republicans expressed doubts about his leadership. had seen

A tumultuous 2023-25 ​​session was marked by conservative anger over the Louisiana lawmaker’s handling of spending negotiations, as fiscal hawks lined up to accuse him of easing the deficit. were standing

In the end, there were only three Republican holdouts as voting began — all 215 Democrats backed their leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Johnson was able to keep his speakership ambitions alive by convincing the two to switch tack.

With the exception of conservative hardliner Thomas Massey of Kentucky, Johnson’s opposition always seemed superficial, and he spent much of the week working on the phone and meeting with conservatives who opposed his candidacy. .

He appeared to assuage some lingering doubts hours before the vote by pledging to “reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States on a more sustainable fiscal trajectory.”

And Trump weighed in early Friday with a social media post wishing Johnson “good luck” and calling him “very close to getting 100% support.”

With the vote looking set to go down to the wire, former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is 84 and recently suffered a broken hip, cast her vote in flat heels for possibly the first time in her career. Came to put.

A Johnson defeat would have been another embarrassment for Trump, who was shown the limits of his influence over House Republicans when he rejected calls in December to suspend the nation’s borrowing limit.

– high stakes –

Trump’s impending inauguration also raised the stakes in the speakership battle, as the House could not confirm the 78-year-old Republican’s victory on Monday.

Johnson also risks losing Trump’s support if the war drags on, with moderate Republicans casting about for other options.

The Speaker holds key influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second only to the Presidency after the Vice President.

But Johnson has been weakened by a standoff with his party’s hardliners, who have demonstrated the leverage they have in the face of a slim Republican majority in the lower house of Congress.

Bill Cassidy, who represents Johnson’s home state in the Senate, said, “Mike Johnson brings people together to achieve a common goal. He is committed to advancing conservative values ​​and a pro-American agenda. Proud.”

“Americans trust Mike to lead this Congress effectively and with integrity. So do I!”

House Republicans will gather for a retreat in Washington on Saturday to discuss their plans for 2025, and leadership will meet again in Baltimore on Sunday.

But the first order of business will be to consider a controversial proposed change to its rules package — which governs day-to-day operations — that would only force Republicans to vote to remove the speaker.

Democrats argue that the reform would leave Johnson accountable only to himself, rather than to the entire chamber. In the previous Congress, any member of the House could make a “motion to vacate” the Speaker’s chair.

The 36-page rules package for the 119th Congress raises the majority party limit to nine co-sponsors.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

(translation of tags) Mike Johnson (T) Donald Trump (T) US House of Representatives



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