Summary of the day
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
Republican Mike Johnson was reelected speaker on the first ballot. Johnson won the bare minimum support that he needed, 218 votes, to capture the gavel again. The Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, won all 215 votes of his caucus.
Johnson, accepting the gavel, asked for a moment of silence in the House in honor of the victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans. He said Congress would act quickly to defend the nation’s borders, restore America’s energy dominance by ending “ridiculous” electric vehicle mandates, fight inflation, and “drastically” cut back the size and scope of government.
Two House Republicans who initially voted against Johnson flipped to supporting him. The two members, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, changed their votes after conferring with the speaker off the House floor. Donald Trump spoke to both Norman and Self, according to multiple reports. The vote remained open for an unusually long time as Johnson worked to win enough support for a victory.
One House Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, still voted against Johnson. Massie instead cast a ballot for Tom Emmer, the House Republican whip. Because of House Republicans’ narrow majority, one more defection would have sunk Johnson’s speakership bid.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, pledged that Democrats would work with Republicans to achieve bipartisan cooperation whenever possible.
“We need to build an affordable economy for hard-working American taxpayers. Now is the time for us to come together and finally lower the high cost of living in the United States of America once and for all,” Jeffries said in his remarks after the speakership election.
“And we will work with anyone of any party to get that done. We will work with anyone to secure our border, and we will work with anyone to fix our broken immigration system in a comprehensive and bipartisan manner.”
Jeffries went on to deliver a thorough and impassioned defense of benefits programs like Social Security and Medicare, preemptively criticizing Republicans who would call for any cuts to the programs.
Donald Trump spoke to Ralph Norman and Keith Self as Republicans worked to convince them to vote for Mike Johnson and give Mike Johnson the victory on the first ballot, multiple outlets are reporting.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus have issued a statement to say that they supported Mike Johnson for speaker because of their “steadfast support of President Trump.”
“We did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months,” the caucus said.
Johnson must now “prove he will not fail to enact President Trump’s bold agenda,” they said.
They said legislation put before this body must “stop the flow of illegal aliens completely,” “cut rampant inflationary spending significantly”, and “not increase federal borrowing before real spending cuts are agreed to and in place.”
Mike Johnson says Congress will pass legislation in the coming months to “roll back the totalitarian fourth branch of government known as the administrative state.”
Johnson says Congress will work with the Trump administration to “drastically” cut back the size and scope of government and create a “leaner, faster and more efficient” federal workforce.
“Our people do not deserve to be ruled by millions of bureaucrats,” he says. “They deserve a government that is led by those they’ve elected to lead.”
In terms of the military, Johnson claims the “Washington establishment” has “tried to replace our military warriors with social justice warriors”. “We have to put an end to this madness.”
Mike Johnson says Congress will fight high inflation by giving relief to Americans and extending the Trump tax cuts, protecting US industries from “one-sided” trade deals and bring overseas investments back home.
“It is our duty to restore America’s energy dominance,” the House speaker says. He says Congress will expedite new drilling permits and end “ridiculous” electric vehicle mandates.
Mike Johnson says Congress will act quickly to listen to the voices of the American people. “We will start by defending our nation’s borders,” he says.
The House speaker says Congress, in coordination with Donald Trump, will give border and immigration enforcement agents “the resources that they need to do their job”.
“We will secure the border. We will deport dangerous, criminal illegal aliens, and finally, finish building the border wall,” he says.
Addressing the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, he says: “You said you’d work with us on that. Hakeem, I’m counting on it.”
Mike Johnson urges the preservation of what he calls the “seven core principles of American conservatism”: individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity.
The House speaker says it is the “simple truth” that parents and families should be in charge of their children’s educations, and not administrators.
He says that “open borders” and “over regulation” have “destroyed” US cities and “stifled” innovation, that inflation and “weak” leadership have left Americans “poorer" and placed them in a “perilous” position.
But Johnson says the recent months have shown something “really remarkable” happening, “a groundswell of Americans” who “demand that we put the interest of Americans first again”.
“This is a powerful new coalition of our country. It’s a coalition that insists that we purge the policies of America last and we bury them in the graveyard of history’s mistakes,” he says.
Mike Johnson asks for a moment of silence in the House in honor of the victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans before addressing lawmakers.
Johnson says he is grateful for his re-election as speaker and for the confidence that the chamber has placed on him. “It is the great honor of my life to serve this body with all of you,” he says.
He says this is a “momentous” time in the history of the country, which he says is the “the freest, the most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been in the history of the world”.
Updated
Today so far
It’s been an eventful afternoon on Capitol Hill. Here’s where the day stands so far:
Republican Mike Johnson was reelected speaker on the first ballot. Johnson won the bare minimum support that he needed, 218 votes, to capture the gavel again. The Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, won all 215 votes of his caucus.
Two House Republicans who initially voted against Johnson flipped to supporting him. The two members, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, changed their votes after conferring with the speaker off the House floor. The vote remained open for an unusually long time as Johnson worked to win enough support for a victory.
One House Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, still voted against Johnson. Massie instead cast a ballot for Tom Emmer, the House Republican whip. Because of House Republicans’ narrow majority, one more defection would have sunk Johnson’s speakership bid.
The blog will have more coming up as House members are sworn in for the new Congress, so stay tuned.
Representative Chip Roy, a Republican of Texas, supported Mike Johnson today despite speculation that he might vote against the incumbent speaker.
But Roy, who initially did not cast a vote when his name was first said during the roll call, has made clear that Johnson should not perceive his support as a blank check.
“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.”
Johnson wins House speakership on first ballot after brief Republican revolt
Republican Mike Johnson has won the House speakership on the first ballot, after swaying two members of his conference who initially voted against him.
When the gavel came down after a lengthy vote, Johnson had won 218 votes while Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, had won all 215 votes of his caucus. One member, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted for fellow House Republican Tom Emmer instead of Johnson.
Two House Republicans who initially cast ballots for other candidates, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, changed their votes to Johnson after conferring with the speaker off the floor while the vote remained open.
With a speaker elected, House members can now be formally sworn in, allowing the chamber to proceed with usual business.
To be clear: the first vote in the House speakership election remains open at this point, as the gavel has not come down yet, so members could still theoretically change their votes.
Mike Johnson just walked off the House floor with two of the dissenting Republicans, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, so it appears the speaker may attempt to sway them.
If Johnson can convince both members to support him, then he might still win the speakership on the first ballot.
Although the first vote in the speakership election has not yet been officially gaveled out, some House Republicans are already voicing their frustration with the three conference members who voted against Mike Johnson.
Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican of Texas who supported Johnson, said in a social media post, “119th Congress starts where the 118th left off. Tough to save a country when Republicans can’t get out of our own way.”
In January 2023, at the start of the last Congress, the House was at a standstill for days as Republican Kevin McCarthy required 15 ballots to capture the speakership.
Updated
As the House clerk works to finalize the first vote in the speakership race, the House Democratic whip, Katherine Clark, has sent a notice to caucus members advising them to return to the floor immediately.
Assuming the current vote count stands, the chamber is expected to proceed immediately to a second ballot, as no candidate for the speakership has yet won a majority of support.
The first speakership vote has not yet officially concluded, as Stacey Plaskett, the delegate representing the US Virgin Islands, posed a parliamentary inquiry as to why she and other delegates representing US territories and the District of Columbia were not called upon to participate in the speakership election.
Under House rules, only members representing one of the 50 US states can participate in the speakership election. Plaskett noted that delegates in the chamber collectively represent more than 4 million Americans who would not have a say in the speakership race.
Plaskett’s words were met with a standing ovation from Democrats while Republicans called for order in the chamber.
A sixth House Republican, Chip Roy of Texas, chose not to vote when his name was initially called by the reading clerk.
Even if all six House Republicans who initially withheld their support do end up voting for Mike Johnson, the incumbent speaker will not have enough support to capture the gavel on the first ballot, as at least three of his colleagues have already voted against him.
Third House Republican votes against Johnson
A third House Republican, Keith Self of Texas, has now voted against Mike Johnson for speaker. Self instead cast a ballot for his Republican colleague Byron Donalds.
Johnson told reporters this morning that he would continue with his speakership bid past a first ballot if necessary, and the election now appears all but certain to continue to a second ballot.
Johnson set to fail on first speakership ballot
At least two House Republicans have now voted against Mike Johnson’s speakership bid, likely dooming his chances of victory on the first ballot and potentially teeing up another vote.
Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina chose to vote for fellow House Republican Jim Jordan. Moments earlier, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted for majority whip Tom Emmer to serve as speaker.
Given House Republicans’ narrow majority, Johnson could only afford one defection and still capture the speakership, assuming all 434 active members were present and voted.
Johnson’s likely failure will set up another vote. House members cannot be sworn in until a new speaker is elected, grinding the chamber to a halt unless the matter is settled.
Massie votes against Johnson
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has just become the first House Republican to vote against Mike Johnson in the speakership election.
Massie instead cast his ballot for Tom Emmer, the House majority whip who is seeking to hold on to that leadership post in the new Congress.
With Massie’s vote against him, Johnson can only afford one more Republican defection, and at least five members of his conference chose not to vote when their names were initially called.
At least five House Republicans do not vote on first reading
Two more House Republicans, Paul Gosar of Arizona and Andy Harris of Maryland, have chosen not to initially cast votes for speaker when their names were called.
Any of those five Republicans may still vote for Mike Johnson when the reading clerk says their names again after making it through the roll call, but the emerging trend is an alarming sign for the incumbent speaker, who can only afford a single defection in his conference.
As of now, no House Republican has cast a vote against Johnson, but Thomas Massie of Kentucky is expected to do so momentarily.
Two more House Republicans, Michael Cloud of Texas and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, did not initially vote when the reading clerk called their names.
If any of the three House Republicans who did not initially vote for Mike Johnson decides against supporting him, it will almost certainly kill the speaker’s chances of winning the gavel on the first ballot.
For your radar: representative Andy Biggs, a Republican of Arizona, did not initially vote when the reading clerk called his name.
Biggs has been identified as a potential vote against Mike Johnson, and he may be waiting to see how others vote before making his decision. The reading clerk will circle back to Biggs’ name once she has made her way through the rest of the roll call.
House speakership vote begins
The first vote in the House speakership election is now underway, as the reading clerk begins reading out the names of each member of the chamber.
If Republican Mike Johnson cannot win the support of 218 members, the chamber will have to proceed to a second ballot until a new speaker is elected.
For reference, Kevin McCarthy required 15 ballots to capture the gavel in 2023, but Johnson’s allies hope he can secure enough support for a victory in the first vote.
The vote will take some time, as the clerk must individually read out the names of all 434 active House members, but just two Republican defections will be enough to sink Johnson’s chances on the first ballot.
Democrats nominate Jeffries for speaker
Representative Pete Aguilar, the House Democratic caucus chair, is now nominating minority leader Hakeem Jeffries for the speakership.
Taking a swipe at Speaker Mike Johnson, who backed away from a bipartisan funding deal at the urging of Donald Trump last month, Aguilar described Jeffries as the only House leader “with a track record of compromise, conviction and compassion”.
“There is only one leader who knows how to negotiate a bipartisan deal and then stick to that deal,” Aguilar said. “House Democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber, Hakeem Jefferies of Brooklyn.”
Jeffries appears to have consolidated the support of all 215 House Democrats, so no defections are expected within the caucus.
Republicans formally nominate Johnson for speaker
With the quorum call completed, representative Lisa McClain, the House Republican conference chair, is now formally nominating Mike Johnson for the speakership.
McClain said that voters had given Republicans “a great opportunity to get America back on the right track” by delivering a governing trifecta for their party.
“We have an opportunity to take our country back with Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate majority leader John Thune and President Donald J Trump in charge,” McClain said, garnering applause from her Republican colleagues.
Johnson pledges 'return to fiscal sanity' ahead of speakership vote
Just minutes before the first speakership vote is set to get underway in the House, Mike Johnson released a list of governing promises to assuage some of his critics within the Republican conference.
“The American people have demanded an end to the status quo, and a return to fiscal sanity,” Johnson said in a social media post.
“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.”
Johnson’s promises included the creation of a working group to collaborate with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to identify potential areas of waste and the publication of a report examining government spending based on existing audits of federal agencies.
The promises may mitigate the concerns of hard-right lawmakers who expressed outrage over Johnson’s efforts to craft a bipartisan funding deal with Democrats last month.
The Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon reports that the speakership election may extend beyond the first ballot today:
House Speaker Mike Johnson may fail to secure reelection on Friday’s first ballot, according to South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman, who predicted to Politico that Johnson “will not get it” in the initial vote.
The warning comes after Johnson met Thursday with the House Freedom Caucus amid growing uncertainty over his bid. Norman revealed GOP lawmakers held discussions with Johnson last night about his leadership plans and strategy for managing their narrow majority.
While no serious challenger has emerged, Norman indicated earlier this week he and other GOP lawmakers are seeking assurances on several issues, particularly budget cuts, before lending their support.
Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic House speaker, is back in the chamber today after undergoing hip replacement surgery last month.
Pelosi sufferd a fall last month while on a trip to Luxembourg with fellow members of Congress. Her Democratic colleagues greeted her with robust applause as she entered the House chamber today.
With the quorum call underway, Mike Johnson is making the rounds through the House chamber, speaking to members of both parties as he hopes to lock down the speakership this afternoon.
New Congress gaveled in
The 119th Congress has now been gaveled in for the first time, and the House chaplain, Margaret Kibben, has delivered an opening prayer to kick off the new session.
Kevin McCumber, the acting House clerk, announced that the chamber would proceed with a quorum call before continuing on to the speakership vote.
With the speakership vote just minutes away, representative Chip Roy of Texas, who has been identified as a potential vote against Mike Johnson today, was seen speaking on the phone in the House chamber.
Johnson: 'I'm here for the long haul'
Mike Johnson appeared calm as he entered the House chamber ahead of the speakership vote this afternoon, even as it remained unclear whether he had enough support to capture the gavel on the first ballot.
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Johnson said Donald Trump has privately spoken with members to convince them to support the speaker nominee.
Asked whether he would press on if he did not win the speakership on the first vote, Johnson said he would.
“We have to get this job done and unify the Congress,” Johnson said. “I’m here for the long haul.”
There is at least one vote of confidence in Mike Johnson’s prospects today. Former representative turned One America News host Matt Gaetz predicted that Johnson would be elected speaker on the first ballot today.
“Mike Johnson will be elected Speaker today. On the first vote,” Gaetz said this morning. “People might like or dislike that. I’m just reporting the news.”
Gaetz won reelection in November but then resigned his House seat after being selected as Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee. Gaetz dropped his bid to become attorney general amid fallout over sexual misconduct allegations.
Roy's leadership of rules committee emerges as sticking point
One House Republican to watch closely today will be Chip Roy of Texas, who voiced staunch criticism of Mike Johnson during the negotiations over government funding last month.
Roy said Wednesday that he remained “undecided” on whether to support Johnson and again demanded changes to the appropriations process moving forward.
But a handful of Johnson skeptics have indicated that they would be more inclined to support his speakership bid if he made Roy the chair of the influential rules committee.
Asked about the idea of elevating Roy, Johnson told reporters this morning, “I’m not making deals with anybody.”
It’s worth noting that Roy has developed a reputation as somewhat of a bomb thrower within the Republican conference, so such a deal could alienate as many members as it appeases.
Representative Don Bacon, a Republican of Nebraska, told a reporter for NOTUS this morning, “Putting Chip Roy in charge of the rules committee is like putting Stalin in charge of amnesty and diplomacy.”
The Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon has more context on the tricky math that Mike Johnson must overcome to win the speakership today:
Assuming all 434 current House members participate (there is one vacancy), Mike Johnson needs 218 votes to win. With Democrats expected to unite behind their leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and Thomas Massie planning to vote against him, Johnson starts with exactly 218 potential votes – the bare minimum needed. Any additional defection would deny him a majority and force a second ballot.
However, members can vote “present” instead of naming a candidate, which would lower the threshold needed for victory by reducing the total number of votes cast for candidates.
Several prominent Republicans remain noncommittal, including Texas representative Chip Roy, Arizona representative Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania representative Scott Perry, Indiana representative Victoria Spartz and House Freedom caucus chair Andy Harris from Maryland – despite Johnson receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement earlier this week.
Johnson’s team has reportedly been working frantically behind the scenes, conducting last-minute negotiations with various Republican factions to secure their support.
Updated
If the House cannot elect a speaker on the first ballot this afternoon, then all business of the chamber will grind to a halt until a leader is chosen.
In October 2023, after Republican Kevin McCarthy was removed from the speaker’s chair, it took weeks to elect his replacement, leaving the House unable to consider any legislation for most of the month.
The stakes of the speakership race will be even higher given the chamber’s crucial business this month. House members cannot be formally sworn in for the new session of Congress until a speaker is chosen, and the chamber needs to certify the results of the presidential election in just three days.
House to vote on new speaker today
Welcome to the new session of Congress, live blog readers.
Today at 12pm ET, the House of Representatives will begin the process of electing a new speaker, which could drag on for days if incumbent leader Mike Johnson cannot unify the Republican conference.
Johnson easily won his conference’s speaker nomination in November, but House Republicans’ narrow majority and the recent, highly contentious negotiations over a government funding package have imperiled his bid.
With former representative Matt Gaetz’s seat remaining vacant for now, Republicans have 219 House seats to Democrats’ 215. That means that, assuming every House member is in attendance and voting for a speaker candidate, Johnson can only afford a single Republican defection and still keep the gavel.
One House Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, has already indicated he will not support Johnson on the first ballot today.
“You can pull all my fingernails out; you can shove bamboo up in them; you can start cutting off my fingers,” Massie told Gaetz, who is now a host for One America News, in an interview yesterday. “I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank.”
Now the question becomes whether one other Republican will join Massie. Given the dozens of Republicans who remain outraged over Johnson’s attempt to pass a bipartisan funding deal with Democratic support last month, his victory is far from guaranteed.
Although speakership races have historically been straightforward affairs with little drama involved, that all changed in 2023, when the speakership election of the new Congress stretched on for days. It took Kevin McCarthy, Republicans’ speaker nominee, 15 ballots to capture the gavel, and he was ousted from his post just nine months later.
But Johnson has one major advantage heading into the vote: an endorsement from Donald Trump. The president-elect threw his support behind Johnson on Monday, and he doubled down on the endorsement in a post on Truth Social this morning.
“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump said. “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party.”
Will Trump’s endorsement be enough to get Johnson across the finish line? The outcome remains unclear, so stay tuned.
