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By Bo Erickson, Richard Cowan and Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Rep. Mike Johnson appeared to have failed in his bid to retain the upper hand in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, a sign that President-elect Donald Trump’s party may struggle to remain united in Congress this year.
As voting continued, at least three Republicans voted against Johnson, possibly leaving the House speaker short of the majority he will need to stay in office.
Republicans control the chamber by a slim 219-215 majority. While voting was ongoing, members still had the opportunity to change their vote or vote if they disagreed. The final result was still there.
The vote could be the first indication of the party’s ability to come together as it advances Trump’s agenda of tax cuts and enforcement. It could also test Trump’s strength on Capitol Hill, where a handful of Republicans have shown a willingness to oppose him.
House Republicans have been plagued by internal divisions over the past two years. Johnson was promoted to speaker after the party fired its leader Kevin McCarthy midway through his term.
The House held 15 votes over four days in 2023 before electing McCarthy speaker.
Before the election, Johnson said he would keep trying if he fell in the first party. So far, no other Republican has publicly mentioned challenging Johnson for the role.
The mild-mannered Louisiana representative, 52, rose from obscurity to one of the most powerful jobs in Washington during three tumultuous weeks in October 2023, as Republicans pushed McCarthy and struggled. to agree on a successor. The staunch Christian lawyer emerged as the consensus choice, but has struggled to keep his party united.
He has sought to build a close relationship with Trump, who endorsed him on Monday after weeks of uncertainty.
“Mike’s victory today will be a huge win for the Republican Party,” Trump tweeted on Friday. Trump returns to the White House on Inauguration Day, January 20.
Whoever gets the presidency — a role that is second in line to the presidency after the vice president — will have a big job ahead of them. In addition to taking up Trump’s overall legislative agenda, Congress will need to address the national debt later this year.
With the federal government now more than $36 trillion in debt, many Republicans are expected to seek significant spending cuts.
Republicans were also sworn into their new 53-47 Senate majority on Friday with Senator John Thune as their new leader, succeeding longtime Senator Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down as leader but remains in the chair.
Johnson angered some by turning to Democrats repeatedly to pass critical legislation, such as bills to keep federal agencies open. He also faced a last-minute challenge late last month when Trump told House Republicans to abandon the federal budget deal, calling for it to raise the national debt.
An updated version of the bill — which did not include Trump’s loan demand — passed the House a few hours before the government would have shut down, and received more support from Democrats than Republicans.
Congress is scheduled to meet on Monday to confirm Trump’s victory in the presidential election, a task it will not be able to do without the speaker.
Johnson is also looking to make his path for the next two years easier, by changing the law that McCarthy allowed to allow any member of the House to call for the impeachment of the speaker in what is known as and “exit movement.” Johnson’s proposed legislation would require nine members of the majority to agree before forcing the type of vote that led to McCarthy’s ouster.
