Reps Elect New Speaker of the House
The
U.S. House of Representatives elected a new Speaker of the House on a strictly
party line vote (220-209). U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is the new Speaker. He
is a 51-year-old attorney who received his undergraduate and law degree from Louisiana
State University and was first elected to the House in 2016 from Louisiana’s
4th Congressional District which includes Shreveport, La., and covers much of
western Louisiana along the border with Texas. In 2022, he was unopposed for reelection
and has received more than 60% of the vote in each election since. He has served
on the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees prior to being elevated to the Speaker’s chair.
During his address to the House after being elected Speaker,
U.S. Rep. Johnson pledged to immediately appoint a Bipartisan Debt Commission
to address the country’s financial and fiscal condition and promised to “compromise
on our preferences not our core principles.” He told his colleagues that he
would decentralize power in the House, getting more Members more involved in decisions
and to pursue “regular order.” He stated that the hallmarks of his office
would be “trust, transparency, and accountability.”
U.S. Rep. Johnson has sent a Dear Colleague letter to Members of the House, outlining his
short-term goals and the plan through 2024. While the House Appropriations Committee
has yet to report the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, Speaker
Johnson plans to bring it to the floor the week of Nov. 13.
