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John:


Good afternoon from Capitol Hill.

Mike Johnson won reelection as Speaker of the House on Friday, January 3rd, the opening day of the 119th Congress. Johnson was confident he would reach the 218 votes needed, despite the promised no vote from Rep. Thomas Massie, who was emphatic during the Christmas holiday that he did not believe in Johnson’s ability to get the America First agenda passed and would not vote for him under any circumstances.

With a majority of only 219, Johnson could only afford one dissenting vote, so he had to corral all others in the conference. Other members, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Andy Harris and Reps. Ralph Norman, Andy Biggs, Victoria Spartz, and Chip Roy, had publicly expressed their doubts in his leadership but were open to voting affirmatively if their requests were met. The day before the vote, Johnson detailed these discussions, telling reporters that “people are talking through process changes they want and those kinds of things, and I’m open to that. I think tomorrow’s going to go well.”

After the first tally, Johnson needed just one more vote and hoped to flip Rep. Keith Self and Rep. Ralph Norman. The clerk did not end the first round of voting and instead paused to give time for members to convene and reach an agreement. For House leadership, winning on the first ballot was integral to maintaining a position of strength in the conference, and some members feared the possibility that challenging the Speaker would delay certifying the 2024 presidential election results.

Norman and Self resumed talks and received the assurances ([link removed]) they had originally requested but believed they failed to receive, and Trump spoke on the phone with Norman and Self in the GOP cloakroom before each agreed to switch their vote. Self shared on X ([link removed]) that, “After receiving firm assurances from the Speaker that Republicans in the House will have strong representation during the budget reconciliation process—a cornerstone of President Trump’s agenda—I changed my initial vote.”

This is a win for House leadership, but promises made must be promises kept. Trump reportedly invited Republican members of Congress to meet with him at Mar-a-Lago this week: specifically, committee chairs, House Freedom Caucus members, and SALT lawmakers (those in high-tax states like New York affected by tax deduction limits). There will be a continued effort to avoid division and deliver strong policy wins for conservatives in the first 100 days.

Despite a snowstorm, Congress still met yesterday to certify President Trump’s election. Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the certification of her loss to Trump.

Over the weekend, President Biden awarded 19 Medals of Freedom at the White House. The recipients included Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, George Soros, Ralph Lauren, Jane Goodall, and Bono. President Biden’s selections quickly received backlash from conservatives. One former NYPD Commissioner, Ray Kelly ([link removed]) , said he could not “think of anyone who has done more to undermine the rule of law in this country than George Soros.”


The Latest from the Conservative Movement
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One More Thing

Ahead of his confirmation hearing next week, read on Hegseth’s passion for classical Christian education: A Review of Pete Hegseth’s Battle for the American Mind ([link removed]) .

Sincerely,

AJ Swinson, Senior Government Relations Coordinator

Babs Hough, Deputy Director of Government Relations

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