GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky says he might be voting for “somebody aside from” Mike Johnson to be speaker of the Home within the subsequent Congress, warning the Republican chief could be the subsequent Paul Ryan.
“On January third, 2017 Paul Ryan was elected Speaker by each Republican besides me,” Massie posted Monday on X.
“Ryan went on to supply a faux repeal of ObamaCare, elevated spending, backed the deep state, and didn’t fund a wall. Two years later we misplaced the bulk and democrats made a residing hell for Trump,” he added.
On January third, 2017 Paul Ryan was elected Speaker by each Republican besides me. Ryan went on to supply a faux repeal of ObamaCare, elevated spending, backed the deep state, and didn’t fund a wall. Two years later we misplaced the bulk and democrats made a residing hell for Trump. pic.twitter.com/IMHiPGv8Tr
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 30, 2024
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, handed in December 2017, was probably the most outstanding coverage success Ryan and Trump achieved collectively.
A number of months later, in April 2018, Ryan announced forward of the 2018 midterm elections that he could be retiring from Congress. That November the Democrats gained 40 seats retaking the Home and making Nancy Pelosi speaker for a second time.
Underneath Pelosi’s management, the Home impeached then-President Donald Trump twice.
After leaving workplace, Ryan turned a really vocal critic of Trump describing him final yr as a “populist, authoritarian narcissist,” in keeping with Politico.
The previous speaker additionally had revealed in May that he wouldn’t be voting for Trump to serve a second time period, however be writing in one other Republican.
Concerning the present speaker race, Massie additionally posted on X final week, “I’ll vote for somebody aside from Mike Johnson. I’m not persuaded by the ‘hurry up and elect him so we are able to certify the election on J6’ argument.”
“A weak legislative department, beholden to the swamp, won’t be able to realize the mandate voters gave Trump and Congress in November,” Massie wrote.
I’ll vote for somebody aside from Mike Johnson. I’m not persuaded by the “hurry up and elect him so we are able to certify the election on J6” argument. A weak legislative department, beholden to the swamp, won’t be able to realize the mandate voters gave Trump and Congress in November. pic.twitter.com/vrD3l45XDX
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 27, 2024
Fox Information congressional correspondent Chad Pergram laid out the January 6 argument to which the congressman referred.
There are presently 434 members of Congress who will be capable to vote for the subsequent speaker following Rep. Matt Gaetz’s resignation from the Home final month.
The breakdown is 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats.
“The speaker of the Home should win an outright majority of all members casting ballots for somebody by identify. In different phrases, the particular person with probably the most votes doesn’t win,” Pergram defined.
This was exemplified when it took Kevin McCarthy 15 ballots to turn out to be speaker in January 2023, although he had probably the most votes of any Republican.
After McCarthy was voted out in October of that yr, Home members struggled for 3 weeks to lastly elect Johnson.
If the same downside arises on Friday when the speaker election is because of happen, no different Home enterprise can occur. In different phrases, the members of the 119th Congress can’t be sworn in.
If they don’t seem to be sworn in, they can not vote to certify the Electoral School vote on January 6, and Trump can’t be sworn in because the forty seventh president till they do.
President Joe Biden’s time period will finish on Jan. 20, and if the state of affairs nonetheless has not been resolved, Senate president professional tempore Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa will turn out to be performing president.
The Hill reported that given the stakes concerned Republican leaders like Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and others are urging their colleagues to again Johnson.
Johnson can solely afford to lose one GOP member and nonetheless retain the gavel.
The speaker confronted strong criticism from inside his ranks for negotiating a massive spending bill with Democrats that finally was changed with a slimmed-down model, which passed with extra Democrats than Republicans voting for it. Thirty-four GOP lawmakers voted in opposition to it.
Based on The Hill, different Republican members in addition to Massie who’re non-committal for Johnson remaining speaker embrace former Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York.
On Monday, Trump endorsed Johnson to stay speaker.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
