OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:18pm – Friday, January 3, 2025
President-elect Donald Trump met with two Republican pushbacks to block House Speaker Mike Johnson from continuing as Speaker of the House, reversing the vote and allowing Johnson to retain his job.
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Rep. Ralph Norman (R.C.) and Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) initially backed other House Republicans in a move that anticipated Mr. Johnson's departure. , Louisiana) were the two members of the House of Representatives who voted against it. Not enough votes were received to secure the Speaker's gavel.
Another Republican who criticized Johnson's leadership, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), declared that he was “absolutely no” to re-electing Johnson under any circumstances.
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz also asked on Tuesday's episode of “The Matt Gaetz Show” whether a compromise bill could tip Massey's vote in Johnson's favor. One America News before voting.
Massey was quick to respond to Gates' question, saying: You can also stick bamboo inside. You can start cutting off my fingers. I will not be voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow. Then you can take it to the bank. ”
“President Trump's policies need to become law. Speaker Johnson has already proven that he is not the person who can get it done,” Massey added in the X post.
Meanwhile, Mr. Norman and Mr. Self met with Mr. Trump on Friday, along with Representative Nancy Mace (R.S.C.), who has aligned herself with Mr. Trump in persuading Mr. Norman and Mr. Self to align. I admitted that I did it.
“We have to make sure that Congress is as strong as possible when it comes to confronting the Senate on a reconciliation bill, because what that reconciliation bill even looks like is being debated. So all I wanted to do today is make this Congress successful for Trump's policies,” Self said.
Reconciliation packages are a legislative tool used to fast-track budget bills, allowing bills to pass through the Senate with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the usual 60 votes needed to avoid a potential filibuster. can be passed.
About an hour after the vote, with the first vote still open, Mr. Norman and Mr. Self returned to the House floor and asked the clerk to cancel the vote and give a “yes” to Mr. Johnson, calling the current Speaker victory was assured. “Aye” is used to mean “yes” or approval of a motion. “No” is used to mean “no” or disapproval.
After the vote, Mr Self revealed that he had reversed his stance in support of Mr Johnson. That's because “Mike has assured us he's going to fight for everything as things move forward.”
“We just impress upon Mike the seriousness of what he's trying to do. Is he going to fight for an economic stop? Is he going to fight? That's all our questions are. “Mr. Trump helped me, but I knew his position.”
“My sole focus has been to advance President Trump's policies. To ensure this, I have expressed concerns to Chairman Johnson about fiscal responsibility and containing deficit spending, which are key priorities for voters.” “I changed my original vote after receiving assurances from the Speaker that House Republicans will have strong representation in the budget reconciliation process, a cornerstone of President Trump's agenda,” Self wrote in an X post. Ta. “I appreciate Chairman Johnson's commitment to these important issues. Let's get to work.”
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