The man who became speaker of the House on Wednesday after three weeks of GOP infighting has a solidly conservative voting record that includes opposing both the sweeping toxic exposure bill for veterans passed last year and the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the speakership Wednesday with every Republican vote. He was the GOP’s fourth choice for speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from the job at the beginning of October, effectively shutting down the House until a new leader was chosen.
The victory marked a rapid rise for Johnson, who joined Congress in 2017 and since 2020 has been the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, a messaging job that made him the fifth highest-ranking Republican in the House.
While he has generally kept a low profile for the last six years, he was perhaps most well-known before Wednesday for playing a leading role in Republicans’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election. . . .
. . . Johnson has also supported controversial, conservative amendments to the NDAA, including this year voting to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender troops and to repeal the Pentagon policy giving troops travel reimbursements and leave for abortions. . . .
. . . He voted against the stopgap spending measure Congress passed last month to prevent a government shutdown. Meanwhile, he supported the House’s Pentagon and Veterans Affairs spending bills, which were both packed with GOP policy riders such as provisions to bar abortion services, transgender health care, and LGBTQ+ Pride flags at the VA. . . . . (read more on Military.com)
Here’s where Speaker Mike Johnson stands on the issues (Politico, 25 OCT 23)
. . . Johnson once served as a former senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom — the conservative legal powerhouse behind the case that overturned Roe v. Wade — which is now spearheading efforts to restrict abortion pills nationwide. In that role, he worked to shut down abortion clinics and defend anti-abortion laws in his home state of Louisiana.
Johnson co-sponsored federal legislation that would have prohibited abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy. The bill has exceptions for physical illnesses that endanger the life of the pregnant person but not psychological or emotional ones. . . . .
. . . . The new speaker opposes gender-affirming care for children and led a hearing about the topic in a House Judiciary subcommittee, which he chairs.
“The so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ is anything but affirming and caring,” he said in opening remarks for the hearing. “This is adults deciding to permanently alter the bodies of children who do not have the capacity to make life-altering decisions on their own.” . . . .
. . . . Johnson touted the addition of a variety of conservative provisions to restrict abortion, transgender medical care, the discussion of critical race theory, diversity efforts and punishments for troops who refused to take a Covid vaccine.
Johnson was among the Republicans who argued Biden-era efforts to promote diversity and combat extremism in the ranks amounted to politicization of the military and distracted troops from their warfighting mission.
Johnson was also a cosponsor of Rep. Ronny Jackson’s (R-Texas) amendment to overturn the Pentagon’s policy to reimburse troops’ for the costs of traveling to seek abortions. Speaking in support of the amendment on the House floor last month, he linked the public’s falling confidence in the military to DOD’s leadership being “overly politicized.” . . . . (read more)
ABOVE PHOTO:
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA, UNITED STATES
04.06.2021
Photo by Senior Airman Max Miller
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Rep. Mike Johnson, 4th Congressional District of Louisiana congressman, and Honorable John P. Roth, acting Secretary of the Air Force, are briefed by 20th Bomb Squadron air crew during a tour at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, April 6, 2021. The tour consisted of a B-52H Stratofortress with briefings from weapons load crew, crew chiefs and air crew.
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