Congress
Conservatives are mounting a symbolic challenge to Johnson’s speakership
House conservatives are planning to mount a symbolic challenger to Speaker Mike Johnson during Wednesday’s internal leadership election, according to two people familiar with the effort.
Conservatives have been discussing how to signal their frustration with Johnson for days, deliberations Blue Light News first reported. They have talked about having a lawmaker actually run against the Louisiana Republican for the speakership nomination in the private vote Wednesday, as well as trying to vote against him or vote present.
The hardliners haven’t finalized a name yet, but one person familiar with the discussion, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, said they expect Johnson to get a challenger on Wednesday. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, seemed to confirm that idea, remarking that it “seems likely” Johnson will have a challenger tomorrow.
“It seems pretty likely,” Roy added.
Roy did not give a name for who he expects to challenge Johnson and no one has publicly jumped into the race.
Regardless, Johnson is expected to easily reach the simple majority threshold to become his party’s speaker nominee on Wednesday. But a challenger would prevent him from winning the nomination by a voice vote, meaning Johnson and his supporters could not characterize it as a unanimous vote in his favor.
Counted ballots also mean lawmakers will get a sense of the size of Johnson’s opposition headed into a tougher speaker vote on Jan. 3, when he will need near-unanimity to keep the gavel. Republicans are expected to keep the House majority, but only narrowly.
Conservatives are frustrated with Johnson over his handling of legislative fights on Ukraine aid and government funding, but the opposition also has a practical motivation. They want concessions from Johnson on the House rules, including keeping the threshold for triggering a vote to oust the speaker at one member.
“I have a responsibility to protect my constituents’ ability to have a voice, make sure that the rules are structured such that we have a voice, continue to evolve the House in that direction and not to devolve the House back into its native swamp position. And so, I want to see what’s going to happen with the rules,” Roy said.
The decision by conservatives to run someone against Johnson was first reported by Blue Light News.
Congress
Congress must ‘adequately’ fund defense, Johnson says, amid talk of $200 billion war request
Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday Congress has to “adequately fund defense” amid the military campaign in Iran as he declined to rule out a possible $200 billion emergency Pentagon infusion.
Johnson spoke shortly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out a supplemental spending request of that size at a morning news conference. The Washington Post first reported the $200 billion figure, which Blue Light News has not independently verified.
“I’m sure it’s not a random number,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, saying he expected any funding request to be “detailed and specified.”
“So we’ll look at that. But obviously it’s a dangerous time in the world and we have to adequately fund defense, and we have a commitment to do that,” he added.
Republicans on Capitol Hill fear the total price tag of the war is climbing rapidly, with the war effort costing more than $1 billion a day by some accounts. But many are still in the dark about how much total funding is needed.
“I don’t know what’s going to come in yet, so everything’s up in the air,” Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) said when asked if he would support such a large funding package. “I can’t qualify any answer for you.”
Several Democrats immediately rejected the suggestion of a $200 billion funding bill out of hand, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise declined to say if such a request could pass the House.
Asked if the request should be scaled down before coming to Capitol Hill, he said, “We will have a negotiation at some point.”
“But it hasn’t started yet,” he added. “It will happen soon.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) endorsed Rep. Kevin Hern’s bid for the open Senate seat in Oklahoma to replace Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Thursday, as Republicans look to avoid a messy primary in the red-leaning state.
Thune called Hern a “proven conservative leader” and supporter of their shared Republican agenda. “He will be a great asset in the Senate and has my full support and endorsement,” Thune said in a statement.
The seat is open after President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to replace Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary.
Trump had previously endorsed Hern for the Senate seat in a post on Truth Social.
“A true friend of MAGA, Kevin is now running for the United States Senate, where I know he will continue to do an incredible job,” Trump wrote. “Kevin is strongly supported by the fiercest MAGA Warriors in Oklahoma, and the most Highly Respected Leaders in the United States Senate!”
Hern is running in November for a full term, but Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will need to appoint a successor in the coming weeks to serve until then. By state law, the person who is appointed to fill the seat temporarily cannot run for the full term.
Other major Republican figures in the state — including Stitt and Rep. Stephanie Bice — have said they would not run for the Senate seat.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be the next Homeland Security secretary, after the Oklahoma lawmaker clashed with committee Chair Rand Paul in a surprisingly tense Wednesday confirmation hearing.
The vote fell mostly along party lines, with a notable vote swap. Paul, a Kentucky Republican, voted against advancing Mullin’s nomination. Paul took Mullin to task Wednesday over past disparaging comments Mullin made against him and the nature of “special missions” he claimed to have taken as a member of the House.
All but one Democrat — John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — voted against advancing Mullin’s nomination.
- Trump administration may unsanction some Iranian oil as energy prices spike, Bessent says
- Congress must ‘adequately’ fund defense, Johnson says, amid talk of $200 billion war request
- Thune, Tim Scott endorse Hern for open Oklahoma Senate seat
- Why targeting Kharg Island could backfire on Trump
- Mullin’s nomination to be DHS chief advances out of committee
- Sexual assault allegations roil bills honoring César Chávez
- Bernie Sanders to force disapproval votes over U.S. arms sales to Israel
- Capitol agenda: Markwayne Mullin’s rockier-than-expected road
- Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign
- Pritzker helped a Black woman become senator. Some Black leaders are still mad at him.
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