Shaky start for the new Congress

Republican Mike Johnson was re-elected speaker of the House of Representatives, despite initial opposition from some elected officials in his own party.

Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a former attorney general candidate and then TV news host with a storied past, made a bold statement at 9:46 a.m. on the opening day of the 119^e Congress.

“Mike Johnson will be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives today,” Mr. Gaetz, who defeated the previous Republican President, Kevin McCarthy, wrote on social media. “In the first round. People may like it or not. I’m just reporting the news. »

While pockets of resistance hinted at a revolt against Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson, the statement seemed overly optimistic about the fate of an embattled leader who presided over a tiny majority. But in the end, it turned out that Gaetz had good sources.

Several hours and a prolonged roll-call vote later — after six abstaining representatives finally called Mr. Johnson’s name and President-elect Donald Trump called two more rebels from his Florida golf course to persuade them to reverse their vote — Mr. Johnson won the gavel.

Relief could be seen on his anxious face.

A turbulent Congress

This hesitant entry into the matter is emblematic of what promises to be a turbulent Republican-majority Congress on the threshold of Mr. Trump’s second term.

While Mr. Johnson spent the morning in his office near the Rotunda talking to holdouts, the Capitol buzzed with the energy of a first day of school.

On the Senate side, Vice President Kamala Harris had arrived to swear in 100 senators, including political critics like Senators Josh Hawley (Missouri) and Bernie Moreno (Ohio), who exchanged civil remarks with the woman which they had slammed a few months ago for its “radical program”.

The daughters of Dave McCormick, the Pennsylvania Republican who unseated Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, lingered after his swearing-in to take a group photo with M^me Harris, whispering and giggling with her before reluctantly walking away.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received a hero’s welcome on her first return to Washington since undergoing emergency hip surgery after tripping down a marble staircase in Luxembourg. In an astonishing gesture, M^me Pelosi had swapped her usual stiletto heels for comfortable clogs.

She sat next to New York State Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, who wore a stoic expression throughout Mike Johnson’s tribulations, as if to silently convey that the Malfunctions in the chamber were the fault of the Republicans, as usual.

Earlier in the day, as Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as White House physician during Trump’s first term, collected a new congressional license plate and membership badge, he is said to be unsure of what action to take regarding the fate of Mr. Johnson.

« Maybe there are people who need to cast a protest vote, or something, to get the bad guy out, but they’re better off getting the bad guy out »he said. “Mr. Trump can do a lot of things with executive orders, but our goal in all of this is that we have to legislate. »

A formality in the past

With all the drama and speculation, it was easy to forget that until the last Congress, the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives was essentially a formality. But as the vote began to unfold Friday, it appeared that House Republicans were ready to repeat their act from two years ago, when Republican Kevin McCarthy needed 15 rounds and four days to decide. see him entrusted with the gavel of the President of the House after an embarrassing fight like one only sees once a century.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie cast a protest vote for Republican Party whip Tom Emmer (Minnesota), then Ralph Norman (South Carolina) shouted “Jim Jordan,” making it appear that Johnson would lose in the first round. Keith Self of Texas joined them, also naming someone else.

The atmosphere became effervescent. For his part, Trump, contacted in Florida, made numerous phone calls to twist the arm of some of the recalcitrants.

Members of Congress, usually disruptive, suddenly mobilized to try to close the deal. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who last year sought to oust Mr. Johnson, changed her mind and was photographed speaking on the phone with Susie Wiles, soon to be White House chief of staff .

Nancy Mace of South Carolina, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy last year, ushered the holdouts into a private room so they could speak on loudspeaker with Mr. Trump.

After having humiliated Johnson to a certain extent, MM. Self and Norman eventually turned around and allowed him to win the gavel on the first ballot. As Gaetz predicted.

Optimistic Republicans…

Some Republicans tried to look on the bright side.

“He did in one ballot what took us 15 last time,” said Tom Cole, the veteran Republican from Oklahoma. “I think it’s a very good sign. »

But that’s just the beginning of the story, not the end. Members of the “Freedom Caucus” (hard right) of the House of Representatives expressed in a letter their “sincere reservations regarding the record of the Speaker of the House over the last 15 months”.

Mr. Trump was more optimistic.

“Mike will be a great president,” he wrote on social media, “and our country will benefit.” »

This article was published in the New York Times.

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