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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 25 september 2024
A year ago Kevin McCarthy was booted as House speaker.

Mike Johnson is trying to avoid that fate

in the aftermath of the two
Continued from Front assassination attempts on
Trump this election season.
While Johnson appears to He insisted he and Trump
be in no imminent threat are "on the same page"
of being ousted — the way on the strategy and have
McCarthy lost his position in spoken "at great length"
a historic vote last fall when about the situation. And
eight hardline Republicans Johnson vowed House
engineered a motion to would hold the line against
vacate the speaker — the extra spending next time, in
new leader's ability to hold December, when the next
on to the speaker's gavel round of funding will be
for the long term is not at all needed.
certain. "There's no daylight be-
"It's a tough job," said Mc- tween us," Johnson said of
Carthy, who is now retired Trump.
from Congress and watch- One key difference be-
ing from the sidelines. tween the situation McCa-
The government fund- rthy faced and this week's
ing vote provides a nota- vote is that last year Con-
ble capstone to what has gress was also considering
been an extraordinary funding to help Ukraine buy
and tumultuous session of weapons as it battles the
Congress with the House Russian invasion, something
Republican majority that Trump and the hard-right
swept to power in January flank did not support, and
2023, as lawmakers now it was eventually dropped
prepare to face voters. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters after a closed-door caucus with from the final bill.
The outcome of Novem- fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Extra war funding is not
ber's election will deter- Associated Press included in this week's
mine the White House temporary bill either, but
and control of Congress, took the historic step of Trump's agenda. malpractice" to lead the Ukraine President Volody-
and may very well decide ousting McCarthy — pass- But the annual spend- government into a federal myr Zelenskyy is expected
Johnson's political future. ing over their Majority ing fights over the federal shutdown weeks before on Capitol Hill later this
Colleagues are weighing Leader Steve Scalise, their budget always loomed the election. week as he presses Con-
whether to keep Johnson GOP Whip Tom Emmer and over Johnson's term. With Johnson said he had tried gress to ensure ongoing
or try someone else as their hard-right Judiciary Chair- the Sept. 30 deadline sign- to run what he called "the support.
leader ahead of internal man Jim Jordan, among aling the end of the fiscal best play" he could, which "I actually think Kevin Mc-
party voting expected lat- others — before Johnson year, the House GOP's ultra- was attaching a bill called Carthy would have done
er in November after the stepped up and won sup- conservative flank agitat- the SAVE Act, which would much better," said Rep.
election. port, with Trump's blessing. ed for the speaker to push prevent immigrants who Thomas Massie, R-Ky., an
"The vast majority support Johnson, a lawyer, had led for spending cuts, even if are in the U.S. without le- ultraconservative who op-
Speaker Johnson — it's a one of Trump's main legal it meant throwing the gov- gal status from voting in the poses most of the spending
shame that we've got like cases challenging Presi- ernment into a shutdown. nationwide elections, even bills.
10 people that always hold dent Joe Biden's victory Trump urged the House Re- though that's already the Massie said he thinks "the
this over his head," said in the 2020 election and publicans to take a hard- law and experts say it rare- only way Mike Johnson gets
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebras- could play a prominent line approach. lyhappens. reelected speaker is he
ka, among the more cen- role in the 2024 election "I wish he would take But that approach from the gets a lifeline from Trump,
trist Republicans. amid potential legal chal- Trump's advice," said Rep. speaker failed, voted down should Trump win the White
"He's a good man. He's got lenges to the outcome. Ralph Norman, R-South by more than a dozen Re- House."
a great heart," Bacon said. As the new speaker, John- Carolina, a member of the publicans along with al- As for the eight House Re-
"I think he's learned a lot this son inherited a bitterly di- hard-right House Freedom most all Democrats. publicans who dislodged
year." vided House GOP majority Caucus, who said of John- A similar dynamic played McCarthy, they've had
On the job for the past and worked quickly to pick son: "He's risk averse." out on several other bills to their own political journeys
11 months, Johnson had up the pieces. He cleaned But with a very slim majority fund the various agencies since then — one, Rep. Bob
been an unlikely choice out the speaker's staff at that leaves Johnson with just when lawmakers opposed Good of Virginia, a former
for the speaker's gavel. The the Capitol, moved in his a few votes to spare on any the steep budget cuts or chairman of the Freedom
Louisiana congressman own team — and closely issue, he needs almost una- the specific policy provi- Caucus, lost his primary bid
was a relatively unknown aligned himself with Trump, nimity from his own ranks sions as too extreme. for reelection.
low-rung party leader, first throwing his support behind to pass legislation over the "So we have to go with the McCarthy, meanwhile, is
elected to office in 2016 the indicted former presi- objections of Democrats. next available thing," John- not necessarily eying any
alongside Donald Trump, dent's bid to retake the He already survived one son said at his weekly press comeback, but fundrais-
when he emerged as Re- White House. attempt from Rep. Marjorie conference Tuesday. ing for the House major-
publicans' last-ditch con- Johnson prioritized several Taylor Greene to boot him Johnson described the ity and showering Repub-
sensus choice to replace House initiatives, from the from office this year. temporary government licans in tight reelection
McCarthy. Biden impeachment inquiry Ahead of Wednesday's ex- funding bill, which will keep contests with money to run
Republicans had fought to the House impeachment pected vote on the spend- operations going until Dec. their campaigns — and op-
behind closed doors over of Homeland Security Sec- ing plan, Johnson defend- 20, as bare bones, with no posing those who crossed
who should become their retary Alejandro Mayorkas, ed his decision, saying it add-ons — except for $231 him.q
new speaker after they that aligned tightly with would have been "political million for the U.S. Service