WASHINGTON (AP) — First-round balloting is underway on the U.S. Capitol, as the brand new Congress opened Friday with one main activity at hand — the election of the Home speaker.
Present Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not solely his personal survival however President-elect Donald Trump’s bold agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to energy in Washington.
Newly-elected Home lawmakers began casting votes, one after the other, at their desks for the roll name. Johnson’s title was put ahead for nomination by the GOP Convention Chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich.
“No speaker’s perfect,” she mentioned.
However the objective is to make progress towards shared priorities for the nation, she mentioned. “None of us will get exactly what we want.”
Democrats put ahead their very own chief, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, as the one one with a observe report of compromise and achievement within the face of “chaos and dysfunction” beneath the GOP majority.
“House Democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber,” mentioned Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., of Jeffries, recounting the numerous occasions their votes bailed out Johnson to make sure passage of essential laws.
With opposition from his personal GOP colleagues, Johnson arrived with outward confidence after working into the evening to sway hardline holdouts. A flop by Johnson may throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil with out a Home speaker. Even backing from Trump himself, often a positive guess for Republicans, was no assure Johnson will keep in energy.
“We don’t have time for drama,” Johnson mentioned as he walked into the Capitol.
The Louisiana Republican acquired a renewed nod of help from Trump. “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on social media.
What was as soon as a ceremonial day with newly elected lawmakers arriving to be sworn into workplace, usually with household, pals and kids in tow, has developed right into a high-stakes vote for the workplace of Home speaker, among the many strongest elected positions in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris was swearing within the senators.
Whereas the Senate is ready to convene by itself and has already elected social gathering leaders — Sen. John Thune because the Republican majority chief and Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic minority — the Home should first elect its speaker, a task required by the Structure, second within the line of succession to the president.
Congress has been right here earlier than, when it took Republicans almost every week and 15 rounds of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker in 2023, a spectacle unseen in trendy occasions. McCarthy was then dumped by his social gathering, a historic first, however he was additionally a part of a protracted checklist of GOP audio system chased to early exits.
The stakes are increased this yr as Trump prepares to return to the White Home with the Home and Senate in GOP management and promising to ship massive on a 100-day agenda.
Trump endorsed Johnson but additionally mentioned “others are very good, too,” a nod to “Make America Great Again” allies within the president-elect’s orbit.
Johnson has been working diligently to stop defeat, spending New 12 months’s Day at Mar-a-Lago as he positions himself alongside Trump. The speaker usually portrays himself because the “quarterback” who will probably be executing the political performs known as by the “coach,” the president-elect.
“We have to stay unified,” Johnson mentioned on Fox Enterprise late Thursday.
Johnson mentioned he thinks he’ll lose maybe solely a single detractor, and hopes to win the speakership on the primary spherical of balloting. He mentioned he hasn’t but requested Trump to make calls to the holdouts. “My conversations with my colleagues are going great.”
However Johnson additionally warned that with out a Home speaker there can be a “constitutional crisis” heading into Jan. 6, when Congress by legislation is required to rely the electoral votes for president, weeks earlier than Trump is ready to be inaugurated Jan. 20.
“We don’t have any time to waste, and I think that everybody recognizes that,” he mentioned.
Johnson instructions one of many slimmest majorities in trendy occasions, having misplaced seats within the November election. With the sudden resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the tally dropped to 219-215. That leaves Johnson counting on virtually each Republican for help within the face of Democratic opposition, although the standard 218 majority of 435 members wanted may shift with absences and others voting solely “present.” All however two newly-elected members confirmed up for the preliminary roll name, dropping the general tally to 433.
Heading into Friday he didn’t have the complete help wanted.
Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy is among the many most notable holdouts, an unflinching member of the Freedom Caucus who lashed into Republican management’s dealing with of the year-end spending invoice for failing to chop spending and cling to Home guidelines.
“Something MUST change,” Roy posted on social media. He mentioned he stays undecided on the speaker’s vote for Johnson, however added “my desire is to give him grace” in hopes they’ll ship on the GOP agenda.
One virtually sure laborious no is Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., however different far-right Republicans, together with some who helped topple McCarthy, have saved their views shut.
What’s unclear is what different concessions Johnson could make to win help. Two years in the past, McCarthy handed out prime favors that appeared to solely weaken his maintain on energy.
Already, Johnson has clawed again a kind of adjustments, with a brand new Home rule pushed by centrist conservatives that might require no less than 9 members of the bulk social gathering on any decision to oust the speaker — elevating the brink McCarthy had lowered to only one.
“I think the holdouts are going to have to realize that, listen, Trump is right all the time,” mentioned Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, exiting the speaker’s workplace late Thursday. “Just know that Trump is right all the time, it’ll help you make a decision real simple.”
In some ways, Johnson has no alternative however to endure political hazing by his colleagues, as they remind him who has leverage of their lopsided relationship. He was a last-ditch alternative for the workplace, rising from the again bench as soon as different leaders failed within the aftermath of McCarthy’s ouster.
Democrats beneath Jeffries usually are not anticipated not assist save Johnson, as they’ve up to now with their votes when he confronted a risk of removing.
The speaker’s election is ready to dominate the opening of the brand new Congress, which additionally brings a roster of history-making members, because the Senate expects to shortly start hearings on Trump’s nominees for high Cupboard and administrative positions.
Within the Senate, two Black girls — Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland — have been being sworn in, each carrying fits in white of the suffragettes, the primary time within the nation’s historical past two Black girls senators will serve on the identical time.
Sen.-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey is also making historical past as the primary Korean American to affix the chamber.
Within the Home, Sarah McBride is the primary brazenly transgender particular person within the Congress.
And Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who not too long ago suffered a fall abroad and underwent hip alternative surgical procedure, will make her personal return to Washington, a reminder of the ability she wielded when Democrats final held the bulk.
However the pomp of the day could dim if the speakership election slogs into a number of rounds of balloting.
“I hope that we can just vote for him on that first ballot, and then go move on to the business of the people,” mentioned Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., who backs Johnson.
Mentioned Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., “A large portion of that will be up to Donald Trump.”