Congresswoman Bush Statement Following Election of Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House
Washington D.C. (Oct. 25, 2023) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released the following statement after Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) was elected by the Republican majority to serve as Speaker of the House.
“22 days and 19 rounds of voting later, the dysfunctional Republican Caucus has unanimously settled with an anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-abortion extremist as their leader. Today is the first time that many people have even heard of Congressman Mike Johnson, but as people across our country will soon come to find out, he is dangerous. He has dedicated his political career by pushing an extreme MAGA insurrectionist agenda. It should trouble every person in our country that Republicans have decided to rally around Mike Johnson, as it serves as a direct window into the kind of world they are trying to build. A world of inequality and injustice. Their antics and failure to lead are deadly to our communities. I will continue to fight against this circus to protect the people of St. Louis.”
BACKGROUND ON SPEAKER JOHNSON:
Congressman Mike Johnson was elected to represent Louisiana’s fourth congressional district in 2017, and since then, Congressman Johnson has built his platform to be anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion, anti-democracy, and anti-social security. Congressman Johnson serves as Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, where he is responsible for guiding his Republican colleagues to fight for core conservative principles and policies, such as anti-abortion and stripping Medicare and Medicaid. He was also chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives in Congress, where he proudly published an extreme budget to cut Social Security, which included reducing benefits for everyone whose earnings are above $60,000, raising the retirement age to 70. In addition to his leadership as RSC chair, Congressman Johnson supported proposals to cut funding for social security by 30%. Key legislation that Congressman Johnson introduced includes the anti-LGBTQ+ federal “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. He is also a proud co-sponsor of several anti-reproductive rights legislation, including a nationwide abortion ban and the defunding of planned parenthood. He is also one of his party’s strongest advocates for the discriminatory, racist, and classist Hyde Amendment. Last but not least, Congressman Johnson was a key architect of the 2021 efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He personally lobbied other Republicans to reject the 2020 election results, led an amicus brief to the Supreme Court asking it to overturn the 2020 election, and voted against certifying the 2020 election, even after the riots on January 6.
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