Mike Johnson Calls For ‘Decentralizing’ Power As Speaker | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Daniel Chaitin.

    Upon being elected the new House speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) said his office will become known for "decentralizing" power.

    Johnson delivered remarks to the chamber before he was sworn in as the 56th speaker. He offered a preview of what his tenure will entail, including his expectations for its legacy.

    "The job of the speaker of the House is to serve the whole body and I will. But I made a commitment to my colleagues here that this speaker's office is going to be known for decentralizing the power here," Johnson said.

    Following a round of applause, he added, "My office is going to be known for members being more involved and having more influence in our processes in all the major decisions that are made here for predictable processes and regular order. We owe that to the people."

    Johnson secured the speakership in a 220-209 House floor vote, filling the vacuum that opened up after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from the role more than three weeks ago. No Republican voted against Johnson on Wednesday while Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was supported by every Democrat on the floor.

    Jeffries handed Johnson the speaker's gavel after he delivered remarks pushing various priorities for the Democrats while also calling for an end to "gamesmanship," brinkmanship," and "partisanship."

    In his speech that followed, Johnson said, "The country demands strong leadership of this body and we must not waver." He declared that the first measure that he would bring to the House floor "in just a little while" would be "in support of our dear friend Israel."

    Israel is engaged in a war in the Gaza Strip after Hamas launched terrorist attacks on the country that killed an estimated 1,400-plus people, including 33 Americans.

    Johnson also said he plans to establish a "bipartisan" commission to work on the national debt, which has surpassed $33.6 trillion, and called on Congress to address the "broken" southern border.

    Other parts of Johnson's speech included thanking McCarthy for helping the GOP win the majority in the House, expressing gratitude to his wife and others for their support and work, and even suggesting that Republicans can find "common ground" with Democrats.

    At times, Johnson received a standing ovation from members of both parties, including when he said, "a strong America is good for the entire world."