Republican Mike Johnson won re-election as US House of Representatives speaker, overcoming resistance from a small but pivotal group of conservative hardliners after a flurry of last-minute talks and with the help of a critical endorsement from US president-elect Donald Trump.
Johnson won a majority of the votes necessary after nearly all of the dissident ultra-conservatives acquiesced to his continued leadership. The Louisiana Republican initially fell short of the threshold, and the vote was kept open as he conferred with lawmakers in a side room just off the House chamber.
Johnson’s narrow 218-215 win allows him the chance to lead a House with the slimmest margin of control either party has held post-election in about 100 years. It also underscores the difficulty Republicans might face advancing their own legislative priorities despite universal governing control in Washington.
Photo: Reuters
Still, Johnson successfully navigated the divisions among Republicans in his first major test of the new US Congress. Two Republicans, Keith Self and Ralph Norman, who initially voted for other candidates, switched their votes to Johnson after talks with the speaker’s allies.
Norman said on Fox News that he switched his vote after Johnson assured him that he would “fight” for hardline conservative causes in legislation.
Self said he would not “get ahead of the speaker” on specific agreements Johnson made.
Both congressmen said Trump also called them to urge they drop their opposition to Johnson.
The speaker said he told the holdouts he would “involve members at every level,” but otherwise made “no promises.”
Even so, Chip Roy, a conservative hardliner who voted for Johnson, said in a social media post that the speaker still faces discontent from his own party.
Johnson on Dec 4 last year spoke with President William Lai (賴清德) by phone during the latter’s stopover in Guam on his way back from visiting the nation’s allies in the Pacific
The call marked the first direct conversation between the House speaker and Lai since the latter assumed office in May.
Johnson had previously congratulated Lai upon his election in January and renewed the US’ commitment to the security and democracy of its Indo-Pacific partners, the Voice of America reported.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration
RSS