House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) will reportedly lose a powerful trio of influential policy staffers just six months into his term.
Influential advisers Brittan Specht, Jason Jaworske and Preston Hill will leave Johnson’s office at the end of May, Punchbowl News has reported. report. Each of the three previously worked for then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Look — Lauren Boebert: “It makes no difference if Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries is the speaker:
Like others who have spent years in leadership, Johnson rose to the top of House leadership without an established policy, communications or fundraising strategy. The departure of such an experienced group is likely to be a blow, especially as the spending season gets into full swing ahead of the deadline at the end of September.
Mr. Specht is Mr. McCarthy’s policy director, and Mr. Jaworsk is an expert on spending and budget issues. The House would have relied heavily on both men to craft its spending bill.
However, reports say Congress is likely to pass a continuing resolution that would continue current spending levels until a lame-duck session after the November elections but before a new Congress and possibly a new president takes office.
Johnson kept Specht on his staff but replaced him with Dan Ziegler, who had worked under Johnson as policy director and who lobbied for the major lobbying firm Williams & Jensen before returning to the House.
WATCH — Speaker Johnson: One-vote margin means he has to work with “a couple of Democrats”:
Breitbart News reported in April that Ziegler’s client list includes several top companies, some of which appear to have a financial interest in helping Congress pass aid to Ukraine. It was reported.
Despite holding a slim majority, Johnson has repeatedly advanced Democratic priorities and vowed to fight so hard that 163 Democrats voted to keep him in the speakership earlier this month. did.
“The 118th Congress, for the first time in history, voted to replace the speaker midway through the session, leaving these friends with the best of both worlds during the first six months of the transition and some of the most difficult policy challenges in decades. They have committed to helping us get through this,” Johnson said in an emailed statement to Punchbowl. “We are thrilled to see them pursue new opportunities in the private sector and are confident they will be very successful.”
“As we continue to advance conservative policies and build momentum to increase the Republican majority this fall, we look forward to announcing new talent to join our policy team soon,” Johnson said. he concluded.
Speaking about the trio, McCarthy told Punchbowl: They have been involved in every major negotiation over the past seven years. Whether it’s taxes, spending, financial services, defense, AI, debt limits, they’re the biggest bets and they have a seat at the table. ”
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
