Today, MAGA Republicans – including the Biden 18 – elected election denier and MAGA Republican extremist Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. Here is what the Biden 18, Reps. Don Bacon, Lori Chavez-Deremer, Juan Ciscomani, Anthony D’Esposito, John Duarte, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Garcia, Tom Kean, Jr., Jen Kiggans, Young Kim, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, George Santos, David Schweikert, Michelle Steel, David Valadao, and Brandon Williams voted for:
JOHNSON ON JANUARY 6TH
- Mike Johnson Led The Legal Effort In The House To Overturn the 2020 Election. The day after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the election, Johnson said he called Donald Trump and told him: “‘Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.’” Johnson quickly became “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” in the House, pressuring his colleagues to support the Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the election on the unconstitutional premise that the expansion of vote by mail during the pandemic was illegal. Johnson boasted on Twitter of Trump’s approval of his efforts, calling the Texas suit “the big one” that would enable Trump to remain in office.
- Mike Johnson Urged Trump Supporters To “Fight!” On The Morning Of January 6, 2021. On the morning of January 6th, Johnson tweeted “We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic!” Later that day, Johnson voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
JOHNSON ON IMPEACHMENT
- Mike Johnson Supports Impeaching President Biden And Has Close Ties To Oversight Chair James Comer. Johnson has been working to impeach President Biden and expressed support for Kevin McCarthy’s move to unilaterally launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden without a House vote. Johnson also holds close ties with Oversight Chair James Comer, who has been leading the impeachment inquiry. Johnson invited Comer to appear on his own podcast at the end of August, where he called Comer, “one of my good friends for the past seven years” and a “super talented guy.”
JOHNSON ON TRUMP
- Mike Johnson Is One Of Trump’s Top Defenders. Johnson has been described as “a trusted member of Trump’s inner circle” and as “one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters in the House of Representatives.” Johnson frequently traveled with Trump on Air Force One during his term and proudly served on the defense team for both of Trump’s impeachment trials in the Senate. During Trump’s first impeachment, Johnson made nearly 50 TV appearances to defend the president. Although he has not formally endorsed Trump for 2024, Johnson continues to aggressively defend the former president despite his legal woes, attacking Democrats after January 6 for focusing on investigating the attack, referring to it as a “third impeachment” and accusing Joe Biden of “weaponizing” the Department of Justice to indict Trump.
JOHNSON ON ABORTION
- Mike Johnson Has Co-Sponsored At Least Three Federal Abortion Bans & A Ban On Medication Abortions. In just a short period, Johnson – who has an A+ rating from the anti-choice group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America – has sponsored numerous anti-choice efforts to ban abortion nationwide. In January 2021, he co-sponsored a bill to ban medication abortions up to 70 days into gestation and bar future FDA authorization of abortion medications. In February 2021, he co-sponsored a federal “heartbeat” bill banning abortion after six weeks post-fertilization and just two weeks later co-sponsored a separate bill banning abortion nationwide after 20 weeks post-fertilization. In July 2021, he co-sponsored yet another 20-week federal abortion ban. [HR 554, 1/28/21; HR 705, 2/2/21; HR 1080, 2/15/21; HR 8814, 9/13/22]
- Mike Johnson Has Long Opposed Abortion Protections & Cosigned Efforts to Overturn Roe v. Wade. Johnson has long been an opponent of Roe v. Wade’s abortion protections, and once argued that if women were forced to give birth to more ‘able-bodied workers,’ House Republicans would not cut Social Security or Medicare. He even co-signed an amicus brief in the case overturning Roe v. Wade. [Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Congressional Amicus Brief, 7/29/21]
- Mike Johnson Is So Anti-Choice That He Supports Codifying Fetal Personhood “At Conception” In Federal Law. “‘Life begins at conception,’ Representative Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said in proposing the Unborn Child Support Act in Congress this month, ‘and this bill is a straightforward first step towards updating our federal laws to reflect that fact.’” [New York Times, 8/21/22]
- Mike Johnson Serves on The Hardline MAGA Republican Study Committee, Which Supports Defunding Health Insurance Plans Covering Abortion Services. Johnson currently serves on the hard-right Republican Study Committee (RSC), which recently proposed a national abortion ban. In June, the RSC released a memo calling for a vote on legislation imposing new restrictions on abortion access, proposing a permanent ban on federal funding for abortions and revoking federal funding for health insurance plans that cover elective abortion services.
JOHNSON ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE
- Mike Johnson Serves On The Hardline MAGA Republican Study Committee and the Far-Right Freedom Caucus, Which Have Proposed Cuts To Social Security & Medicare. Johnson currently serves on the hard-right Republican Study Committee (RSC), which has released a steady stream of radical proposals to slash and privatize Medicare and Social Security. The RSC has also been working on new proposals to end Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices, cut food assistance, and cut Medicaid. Johnson is also a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, which has backed a budget proposal gutting Social Security and Medicare.
JOHNSON ON GAY MARRIAGE
- Mike Johnson Voted Against The Respect For Marriage Act, Which Recognized Gay and Interracial Marriages Under Federal Law. In December 2022, Johnson voted against the Respect For Marriage Act, which guaranteed marriage equality for gay and interracial couples under federal law. The law passed with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and was signed into law by President Biden. [HR 8404, Roll Call Vote #514, 12/8/22]
- Mike Johnson Voted Against The Equality Act. In February 2021, Johnson voted against legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. [HR 5, Roll Call Vote #39, 2/25/21]