Mike Johnson re-elected as US House Speaker

Washington, Jan 4 (PTI): Republican Congressman Mike Johnson on Friday was re-elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives with a narrow victory margin of three votes.

The Republican Party has 219 seats in the House against Democrat’s 215 seats, the smallest majority in nearly a century. After some tense moments Johnson, 52, who represents the fourth Congressional District of Louisiana, received 218 votes against 215 votes that went to Hakeem Jeffries of the Democratic Party.

President-elect Donald Trump congratulated Johnson on his re-election. “Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress. Mike will be a great Speaker, and our country will be the beneficiary,” he said.

“The People of America have waited four years for common sense, strength, and leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!” said Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.

The US Congress on January 6 would formally certify the November 5th presidential elections that was won by Trump. Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over a joint session of Congress to certify that Trump defeated her. This would make her only the third vice president to do so in the past century.

In his acceptance speech, Johnson extended his full support to Trump. “It is the great honour of my life. This is a momentous time in our history,” the Speaker said after his re-election. Soon thereafter he swore-in the members of the 119th Congress.

“Our people do not deserve to be ruled by millions of bureaucrats they never voted for, never met, and can’t hold accountable,” he said. “The American people have called on us to reject business as usual and throw out the status quo. We must and we will heed their call,” he added.

“In a democracy, there is a time to campaign and a time to govern. The election is over. This is a new Congress. The American people need us as their elected representatives in this season to put down our partisan swords and pick up bipartisan plowshares. Working together, we have the potential to be one of the most consequential Congresses in the history of this great nation,” Johnson said.

House Minority Leader Jeffries congratulated Johnson on his re-election.