Mike Johnson Reveals 3 Commitments Ahead Of Speaker Vote
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) revealed three commitments on Friday ahead of the first ballot for House speaker, a role he is trying to win for another session of Congress.
The announcement came as Johnson, who is endorsed by Donald Trump, hoped to rally enough support within the Republican caucus to win the gavel. He mentioned Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be led by tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The American people have demanded an end to the status quo, and a return to fiscal sanity. That’s why the citizens of our great country gave President Trump the White House and Republican control of both chambers of Congress. If we don’t follow through on our campaign promise for…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 3, 2025
In a post to X, Johnson vowed to:
“1. Create a working group comprised of independent experts – not corrupted by lobbyists and special interests – to work with DOGE and our committees on implementing recommended government and spending reforms to protect the American taxpayer.
2. Task that working group with reviewing existing audits of federal agencies and entities created by Congress – and issuing a report to my office for public release.
3. Request House committees undertake aggressive authorizations and appropriations reviews, including providing additional resources where needed, to expose irresponsible or illegal practices and hold agencies/individuals accountable that have weaponized government against the American people.”
Johnson alluded to the 2024 election, during which the Republicans narrowly maintained control of the House and won back the Senate as well as the White House.
He said:
“The American people have demanded an end to the status quo, and a return to fiscal sanity. That’s why the citizens of our great country gave President Trump the White House and Republican control of both chambers of Congress. If we don’t follow through on our campaign promise for fiscal responsibility, we don’t deserve to hold power. The national debt is a grave threat to America’s economic and national security – and no issue exemplifies the Congress’ failures more.
Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to make meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and end the weaponization of government. Along with advancing President Trump’s America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory.”
He concluded with:
“If we want to restore fiscal responsibility, we must start by being transparent about the dollars that are spent, address the issues we find, and then hold those accountable who have misspent funds. Republicans have a mandate to implement the America First Agenda, and as Speaker, this will be my priority.”