House Republicans warn of 'sincere reservations' Speaker Johnson can pass Trump's agenda

WASHINGTON – A group of 11 House Republicans who initially signaled doubts on Friday about House Speaker Mike Johnson said they ultimately supported the Louisiana GOP lawmaker amid concerns he won't be able to accomplish President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.

“We did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker’s track record over the last 15 months,” the reluctant GOP lawmakers wrote of their all-important votes that helped give Johnson a narrow victory for another term leading the House.

“Now, Speaker Johnson must prove he will not fail to enact President Trump’s bold agenda," added the group of lawmakers, which included Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland, Chip Roy of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Andrew Clyde of Georgia.

Their votes in support of Johnson represent a major leadership test for the 52-year-old speaker, who must govern with a slim majority in 2025. Friday's urgency for choosing a speaker with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House was twofold, to organize critical House committees in pursuit of legislation and to formally certify Trump’s election victory by counting Electoral College votes on Monday.

Seven Republicans initially remained silent during the voting for speaker, which could have helped defeat Johnson. Three other Republicans voted for another candidate, which also could have defeated Johnson.

But while the vote for Johnson was held open about two hours, each of the silent members supported him on the final tally ? as did two of the three opponents. Johnson won a bare majority of the House with 218 votes to 215 for the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., supported Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. One seat is vacant after the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

After the vote, Norman told reporters he spoke with Trump and the conversation went “very well” and was “helpful."

"I said, 'Mr. President, we just want Mike Johnson to back you up so that you can get your deal, you can get everything you have,'" Norman said. "He said, 'I get that. Mike's the only one who can be elected.' And I said, 'I agree with you on that.'"

“Mike gave us the assurance that he was going to fight for everything as it moves forward,” Norman added. “He gave us the assurance; we trust him.”

Trump congratulated Johnson in a post on Truth Social and said he would be a great speaker.

“Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary,” Trump said. “The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!"

In their letter made public after Johnson's vote, the reluctant Republicans cited goals that align with Trump's second-term agenda of tightening security along the southern border and cutting spending, taxes and regulations. But some of their demands could prove difficult politically and logistically.

The lawmakers voiced disappointment with Johnson on several points, including wanting the House in session more days during the initial 10 weeks of the session, despite members often seeking to return to their districts for long weekends. They also sought a guarantee that all legislation will be published at least 72 hours before House votes to allow lawmakers to read it, which is sometimes difficult under pressing deadlines to approve bills.

Because of the concerns, the reluctant lawmakers said Johnson “must prove he will not fail to enact President Trump’s bold agenda.” Their priorities include:

• halting the flow of immigrants without official authorization to enter the country.

• cutting “rampant inflationary spending” with a path toward a balanced budget.

• not increasing the limit on federal borrowing until spending cuts are approved.

• ending trading in individual stocks by members of Congress.

“Everything we do needs to set the Congress up for success and to deliver the Trump agenda for the American people,” Roy said in a social media post. “Speaker Johnson has not made that clear yet, so there are many members beyond the three who voted for someone else who have reservations.”

In a post on social media, Perry said he would hold Johnson responsible for accomplishing the incoming Republican president's agenda.

“While I maintain my reservations about Speaker Johnson’s leadership record," he wrote, "today I voted in support of President Trump’s Agenda."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP lawmakers skeptical Speaker Johnson can pass Trump's agenda