Tag Archives: Mike Johnson

AP: House GOP Plots Billions In Cuts To Medicaid

The Associated Press reports: Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program. Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by …

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Swing-District GOP Reps Rebel Over Spending Cuts

Politico reports: Pennsylvania Rep. Rob Bresnahan is the latest swing-district Republican to issue a warning over deep spending cuts GOP leaders are targeting for key safety net programs in a bill to enact Trump’s massive domestic agenda. “I ran for Congress under a promise of always doing what is best for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Bresnahan in a …

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Johnson Won’t Say If Trump Should Obey Courts

MANU RAJU: “Should the White House comply if a federal court orders them to do something, such as destroying the records that they downloaded from the Treasury Department?” MIKE JOHNSON: “Well, look, there are appellate processes and all of that. I haven’t followed the latest on the litigation, but obviously we have systems that have to work. We’re fully supportive …

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House Reps Gloomy About Averting Govt Shutdown

NOTUS reports: Republicans are already staring down the possibility of a politically disastrous government shutdown, with funding set to run out on March 14 and lawmakers seeing little reason for any optimism. “The clock is ticking and running away from us right now,” senior appropriator Rep. Steve Womack told NOTUS on Thursday. The March 14 deadline, House Appropriations Chair Tom …

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Johnson: Trump’s Plan To “Own Gaza” Is “Common Sense” And “Bold Step” To Restoring Peace In Region

Fox News reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza a “bold step” toward restoring peace in the region. “Of course, the initial announcement yesterday, I think, was greeted with surprise by many, but cheered by, I think, people all around the world,” Johnson said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. “Why? …

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Johnson Backs Trump On Disaster Aid For California: We Lost Three House Seats Due To “Lack Of Voter Security”

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is keeping the door open to conditioning California disaster aid on the state enacting voter identification laws, days after President Trump said he wanted to link the two priorities. The comments from Johnson came during a press conference at Trump National Doral in Miami on Monday. Asked if linking voter ID to California …

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Johnson Invites Trump To Address Congress In March

Politico reports: Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday extended an invitation for President Donald Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4, the first in Trump’s second presidency. In a letter to the president, Johnson invited Trump to “share your America First vision for our legislative future,” thanking him for his “strong leadership and bold action” in the …

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Johnson Stopped Subpoena Of Trump Aide Over Fear That “Sexual Texts” Sent By GOP Reps Would Surface

The Washington Post reports: An aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson advised Republican colleagues against subpoenaing former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson as part of their investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attacking an effort to prevent the release of sexually explicit texts that lawmakers sent her. In a meeting following the June conversation, Johnson (R-Louisiana.) and senior aides also …

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Johnson On Riot Pardons: “We Believe In Redemption”

“Everybody can describe this however they want, the president has the pardon and commutation authority, it’s his decision, and I think what was made clear all along was that peaceful protests and people who engage in that should never be punished. There was a weaponization of the Justice department. “There was a weaponization of the events the following, you know, …

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Massie Axed From Committee After Opposing Johnson

Axios reports: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been removed from the House Rules Committee after being the lone vote against Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) reelection. Massie’s departure from the influential panel could make it easier for Johnson to get legislation to the House floor. He has been replaced with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a low-key member of the right-wing House …

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Johnson To Raise US Capitol Flags For Glorious Leader

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Tuesday that flags will fly at full-staff at the Capitol on the day of President-elect Trump’s inauguration and then will be lowered back to half-staff to honor the late President Jimmy Carter’s death last month. “On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff to celebrate our country …

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Johnson: California Aid Will Come With “Conditions”

“We’ve got to have a serious conversation about that. Obviously, there has been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems. And it does come down to leadership. And it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty and in many respects. “So that’s something that has to be factored in. I think …

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Johnson Secretly Sought Climate Grant For His District From Fund He Voted Against And Has Vowed To Gut

E&E News reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson urged EPA late last year to award a city in his district a grant focused on the environment and disadvantaged communities — funding from the Democrats’ climate law that Republicans have vowed to gut. The Louisiana Republican, who was just reelected speaker despite pushback from his conservative flank, sent the letter to EPA …

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Johnson To GOP Reps: Show Up Today “Blizzard Or Not”

Washington DC’s NBC affiliate reports: A major winter storm will envelop the DC region on Monday bringing heavy snow that could pile up to a foot in some areas. As the snow is falling outside, members of Congress are expected to be inside the U.S. Capitol certifying Donald Trump as winner of the 2024 presidential election. House Speaker Mike Johnson …

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Mike Johnson Recited Fake Christian Nationalist Prayer

The Baptist-led site Word & Way reports: Mike Johnson of Louisiana was reelected today (Jan. 3) to lead the U.S. House of Representatives. During his acceptance remarks a bit later, he read what he called a prayer from Thomas Jefferson. But Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation call it a “spurious quotation,” adding it’s unlikely Jefferson actually wrote or delivered …

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New House Rule: Only Majority Party Can Oust Speaker

Axios reports: The House voted mostly along party lines Friday to adopt a rules package that protects newly reelected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential ouster. The new rules make it so that a vote on removing the speaker can only be brought if at least nine Republicans support what is called a “motion to vacate.” That is a …

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Johnson Wins In First Round After All After Two GOP Reps Change Votes Following Cloakroom Negotiations

NBC News reports: Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who each voted for other Republicans earlier in the voting process, just changed their votes to back Johnson. The switch likely gives Johnson the votes to become speaker. This switch happened after Johnson went to the cloakroom for discussions with Reps. Norman, Self, Perry, Harris, Higgins and Cloud. Many …

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UPDATE: Second Speaker Vote No Longer Needed

The New Republic reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson lost the first floor vote Friday to retain the gavel. A handful of aimless Republican votes for other candidates (who weren’t running for the House’s most prized position) made it mathematically impossible for Johnson to win. Johnson had faced near-impossible margins from the jump: With a full House floor and a unified …

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UPDATE: Johnson Elected Speaker After Vote Changes

Politico reports: Mike Johnson came up short in his bid to remain speaker on the first ballot. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) voted against Johnson in the alphabetical roll call vote. Johnson can only afford to lose one GOP vote and still reclaim the gavel, meaning he needs to flip at least two of …

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LIVE VIDEO: Mike Johnson Faces Vote For Speaker

CBS News reports: The 119th Congress will convene on Capitol Hill on Friday, with Republicans in control of both the House and Senate for the first time since 2019. The House will meet at noon and hold its election for speaker, with current Speaker Mike Johnson hoping to hold onto his gavel. Johnson needs to win a majority of the …

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