Presides over the swearing-in of the 119th Congress and looks toward certification on January 6.
Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana was reelected to the House Speaker position on Friday on the first vote. Three representatives had initially voted for others. However, Speaker Johnson had a private conversation with Congressmen Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, after which the two representatives went to the well of the House to change their vote in his favor, giving Congressman Johnson the majority necessary to retain the gavel.
Speaker Johnson had been unanimously nominated for the role in November but lost support from several of his party after he proposed a pork-laden continuing resolution in December. President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Speaker Johnson and made calls to some representatives to shore up support.
Speaker Johnson released commitments ahead of the vote: to create a working group to collaborate with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce spending, to audit current federal agencies and provide a report that the speaker’s office will release, and to request action from House committees to prevent misuse of taxpayer dollars.
As he addressed the 119th Congress after the vote, Speaker Johnson called for a moment of silence for the victims of the New Orleans terror attack that occurred on New Year’s Day.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Speaker Johnson to seek God’s wisdom as he presides over the House of Representatives.
- For members of the House as they prepare to certify the 2024 presidential election on Monday.
Sources: Townhall, C-SPAN, MSN
