Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said Tuesday that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) doesn't have the votes to keep the gavel, supporting the Louisiana Republican in Friday's floor vote. He said he has not yet decided whether he will be able to do so. President-elect Trump supports Johnson.
“Like many of my colleagues, I remain undecided. There have been so many failures over the past year that I am concerned that our ability to advance the president's policies will be limited or inhibited. “I'm doing it,” Roy said Tuesday on Barney & Company. .'' on Fox Business.
Mr Roy then said Mr Johnson had not yet received support to become chairman.
“At this point, I don't believe he has the right to vote on Friday,” Roy said.
Several other Republicans, including Rep. Andy Harris (Maryland), Rep. Andy Biggs (Arizona), and Rep. Victoria Spartz (Indiana), despite President Trump's support. continues to withhold support for Johnson. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), who has said he would vote for someone other than Johnson, said he would not change his mind even after receiving Trump's support.
Assuming all members attend and vote for a candidate, Johnson can only allow one person to defect from the Republican party in the Jan. 3 House of Commons election. All 215 incoming Democratic members of the House are expected to vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and 219 Republicans are also expected to attend.
Mr. Roy named two candidates to replace Mr. Johnson: Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
“People say, Chip, who else would you choose? Mike's a friend, so maybe he'll pick up the phone and give us an agenda and a plan. Byron Donald is a good guy and a good friend. “I drafted him two years ago. Jim Jordan is a good guy and a good friend. There are other leadership members in the conference who can fill that role,” Roy said.
Jordan showed support for Johnson After Trump's endorsement on Monday, the Donald told The Hill in December that he would support Johnson for Speaker of the House despite his response to the funding bill.
Roy said he “respected” Trump's support for Johnson and liked him as a friend, but was concerned about a number of actions by the chairman over the past year. . Multiple iterations before final pass before Christmas.
“We violated the 72-hour rule twice, which means we didn't have time to read the bill. We needed Elon. [Musk] and Vivek [Ramaswamy] And the president and JD [Vance] They come to slay a 1,500 page monster and cut it down to 100 pages. There is still $110 billion unspent,” Roy said.
He later added, “The pre-Christmas failure cannot be overstated, but it is bound to happen at some point if we do not organize a conference that delivers results for the American people. We're not going to be able to bend things.''To bring down inflation and make it possible for people to live in this country, we have to cut spending. ”
