January 4th 2025.
It was a day that was meant to be different. House Speaker Mike Johnson had managed to avoid the long and arduous process that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, had to go through to become speaker. However, his victory was far from a unifying moment. As the day progressed, it became clear that Johnson had only a fragile support from the hard-line conservatives who had voted for him. They were ready to remove him from his position if he did not meet their demands, just as they had done with McCarthy before.
Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican who had initially opposed Johnson, had eventually changed his vote. However, he was not entirely convinced of Johnson's ability to lead. "Is he going to fight?" he questioned. The Republicans were enjoying the moment as they took control of Washington and stood united behind President-elect Donald Trump. But the underlying issues that had made the past two years tumultuous in the House were still present. The difference now was that the stakes were much higher as the Republicans were expected to deliver on Trump's agenda.
The conflict that was to come was evident as Congress began its new session on Friday. House Republicans were taking jabs at each other on TV and engaging in heated arguments on the House floor. Even after Johnson's victory, there were discussions among GOP lawmakers about what would trigger his removal. For a moment, it seemed like things would get even worse.
The House chamber was reminiscent of the scene from two years ago when archconservatives refused to support Johnson. They were gesticulating and openly negotiating on the floor. However, after an hour of uncertainty and tense negotiations, two of the three Republicans who had initially denied Johnson the speakership changed their votes. This gave him the majority he needed, but it was clear that his support was still shaky.
Norman stated that it wasn't Trump who had changed his mind, but Johnson's promise to "fight for everything going forward." However, this promise would not be easy to fulfill. Johnson was now faced with the daunting task of leading a Republican majority that was even slimmer than before. This was due to several members joining Trump's administration, potentially reducing the majority to just one vote.
Last year, Johnson had to rely on Democratic support to pass significant legislation due to the thin majority and constant defiance from his right flank. In his first speech as speaker, he tried to turn the page and rally the Republicans behind a "groundswell of Americans" who wanted to see change in Washington. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who had been vocal in his criticism of Johnson, stated, "Speaker Johnson contends that in an environment where we have the White House and the Republican Senate, he's going to be able to get the job done. So we'll give him a chance to see. But we need to deliver. There's no room for any excuses now."
But the challenges didn't end there. Even if Johnson managed to unite his conference in the House, he would still need some Democratic support in the Senate to pass most legislation. The filibuster rules in the Senate required at least 60 senators to support a bill for it to advance. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans knew that this would be a tough task.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the difficult job that Johnson had ahead of him in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press." To ease one threat to Johnson, Republican leadership made it more difficult to remove the speaker through a motion to vacate. However, this move was met with protests from Democrats who accused Republicans of shielding the speaker from bipartisan accountability.
However, within minutes of Johnson gaining the necessary support to become speaker, the House Freedom Caucus released a letter signed by 11 members. In this letter, they demanded that Johnson deliver ambitious policy goals, including enacting permanent border security changes, making aggressive federal spending cuts, and banning members of Congress from stock trading. The caucus members made it clear that Johnson must prove he will not fail to enact President Trump's bold agenda.
Conservatives were also pushing for promises to reduce the federal deficit and give rank-and-file members more control over legislation. Although these promises may be difficult to keep, Johnson committed to working closely with the members of the Freedom Caucus in crafting legislation. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a caucus member, stated, "Speakers typically don't last very long. I would say this about Speaker Johnson: As long as this is a member-driven process, I think his speakership will be successful. If it's not, that's going to be tough."
Nine conservatives had initially withheld their support for Johnson during the speakership vote. They either stayed silent or voted for someone else. This was seen as a message that the threat of a motion to vacate was still looming, despite the rules change. During a huddle over the speaker vote, Norman even warned Johnson about this. Johnson responded by saying, "Look, if I don't perform like I say I'm going to perform and push the things that you're saying, put me out. I never thought I would have this job anyway."
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