Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Speaker

Speaker Johnson says House will match Trump’s pace as Democrats are left ‘flailing’

House Speaker Mike Johnson poked fun at “flailing” Democrats on Sunday and vowed that the House of Representatives would be just as aggressive in pushing legislation as President Donald Trump has been with executive orders.

Johnson made the statement during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. Johnson said House Republicans are working to compile the massive legislative package Trump has requested.

“We’re going to secure the border, we’re going to make sure that American communities are safe. We’re going to get American energy dominance going again in the economy and restore common sense,” Johnson said.

“But to do all that in one big bill takes a little bit of time. So we’re working through that process very productively. We’ve been building on this for a year, Shannon. All through last year, we had our committees of jurisdiction working on the ideas to put it together,” he added.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Speaker Mike Johnson says his Democratic colleagues are “flailing.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

“We were going to do a budget committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter. Remember that I have the smallest margin in history, about a two vote margin currently. So I’ve got to make sure everyone agrees before we bring the project forward, that final product, and we’ve got a few more boxes to check, but we’re getting very, very close,” he continued.

NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

The budget bill process has not been without its share of in-fighting, however. Republican spending hawks are pushing leaders to include at least $2.5 trillion in spending cuts in the massive legislative package.

President Donald Trump is pushing Congress to move forward with a massive legislative package. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

One GOP lawmaker said that tension bubbled up in a closed-door meeting last week with several “heated exchanges,” with conservatives demanding a concrete plan and minimum spending cuts at significantly higher levels than what was initially proposed.

“I think there’s a lot of frustration right now,” the lawmaker told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.”

Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (Getty Images)

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Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., two conservative members of the House Budget Committee, both told reporters they wanted to see the baseline for spending cuts set at roughly $2.5 trillion.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 9, 2025
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and political allies launch public affairs firm

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has joined forces with five other figures to found Watchtower Strategy, a public affairs organization.

The other people involved include Jeff Miller, Dan Conston, Arthur Schwartz, Cliff Sims and Brian Walsh.

“Watchtower Strategy is a premier public affairs firm founded by six leaders at the pinnacle of American politics. Watchtower specializes in strategy, advocacy, and crisis communications,” the organization’s website declares.

TRUMP ACCUSES FORMER SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY OF ‘ONE OF THE DUMBEST POLITICAL DECISIONS MADE IN YEARS’

A press release indicates that the group “will provide strategic advisory services for CEOs and senior executives, helping them navigate high stakes issues at the intersection of business, government, and public relations. The firm also specializes in developing and executing issue advocacy campaigns, with a proven track record of shaping public debates and influencing key policy outcomes.”

Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to McCarthy for comment on Wednesday but did not receive a response in time for publication.

“The launch of Watchtower Strategy comes at a pivotal and promising moment for our country,” McCarrthy said, according to the press release. “Navigating this moment can be both an opportunity and a challenge. The Watchtower team is trusted, tested, and built for success.”

KEVIN MCCARTHY CLASHES WITH NBC HOSTS OVER BIDEN FAMILY PARDONS: HE ‘MUST KNOW SOMETHING’ THAT OTHERS DON’T

McCarthy, Watchtower Strategy’s chairman, is also a member of the C3 AI advisory board, and he is on the Anivive Lifesciences board of directors.

C3 AI’s website says the organization “is a leading Enterprise AI software provider for accelerating digital transformation.”

Anivive has described itself as a “pet pharmaceutical company.”

McCarthy obtained the speaker’s gavel in 2023 after a whopping 15 rounds of balloting. He was later ousted from the speakership, and eventually resigned from Congress before the end of his term.

KEVIN MCCARTHY SHARES WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE ‘THE GREATEST THREAT TO US’

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McCarthy attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony last week.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Speaker Johnson invites Trump to address Congress amid busy first 100-day sprint

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is inviting President Donald Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4.

SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD ROOT FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SUCCESS

In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital, Johnson wrote to the new president, “Thanks to your strong leadership and bold action in the first days of your presidency, the United States is already experiencing a resurgence of patriotism, unity, and hope for the future.”

President Donald Trump speaks at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“Your administration and the 119th Congress working together have the chance to make these next four years some of the most consequential in our nation’s history,” the speaker wrote.

HONORING TRUMP: SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS FLAGS TO FLY FULL-STAFF AT US CAPITOL DURING PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

“To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, to share your America First vision for our legislative future. I eagerly await your response.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The letter comes just before Trump is expected to address House Republicans at their annual issues conference and retreat, being held this year in South Florida.

JOHNSON REVEALS TRUMP’S WISHES ON DELIVERING HUGE POLICY OVERHAUL IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING

House GOP lawmakers will be meeting at Trump’s golf course and resort in Doral for three days as they work to hash out a roadmap on government spending and plans for a major conservative policy overhaul.

U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Trump signaled for weeks before being sworn in that he was positioning for a very active first 100 days of his new administration.

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Republicans now control both the House and Senate as well as the White House. But with razor-thin majorities in both chambers, GOP lawmakers will need to vote in near lock-step to carry out Trump’s plans.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

January 25, 2025
House Speaker Johnson calls Biden’s last-minute pardons ‘shocking’ and ‘disgusting’

House Speaker Mike Johnson says former President Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons of his family members were “shocking” and “disgusting.”

“It was shocking. I mean, it was shocking what President Biden did on the way out, pardoning his family for more than a decade of whatever activity, any nonviolent offenses. It was breathtaking to us,” Johnson said Wednesday during the House Republican leadership’s weekly press conference.

“I don’t think that’s anything like that’s ever been anticipated. And by the way, go look at the tape. You know, four years ago when it was just implied that President Trump might do something similar, they were apoplectic. Joe Biden himself, Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, roll the tape. They all said that would be crazy and unconscionable. And now they’re cheering it along,” Johnson continued.

“To us, it is disgusting. To us, it probably proves the point. The suspicion that, you know, they call it the Biden crime family. If they weren’t the crime family, why do they need pardons? Right?” Johnson also said. “Look, there’s a lot of attention that’s going to be paid to this. And I think that is appropriate. And we will be looking at it as well.”

4 TRUMP RIVALS THAT BIDEN DIDN’T PARDON

Johnson listens as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Monday, Jan. 20. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

Biden pardoned his siblings just minutes before leaving office on Monday.

The pardon applied to James Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John Owens, and Francis Biden, the White House announced. The president argued that his family could be subject to “politically motivated investigations” after he leaves office.

“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,” Biden said in a statement.

“Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances,” Biden added.

The pardons have been widely criticized, with Trump-Vance transition senior adviser Jason Miller describing them to Fox News as “nonsense.”

“I think for Joe Biden to do that, I thought that was nonsense,” he said.

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST SLAMS BIDEN’S LAST-SECOND PREEMPTIVE PARDONS, SAYS HIS LEGACY IS TARNISHED

Biden and the former first lady board Special Air Mission 46 at Joint Base Andrews following inauguration ceremonies on Monday. Biden pardoned his family members just minutes before leaving office. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield also called them a “disappointing move.”

Biden issued another wave of pre-emptive pardons earlier Monday morning, those going to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley and people associated with the House select committee investigation on January 6.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump signed off on releasing more than 1,500 charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.

Johnson speaks to reporters in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 22. (Fox News)

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“The President has made his decision,” Johnson said Wednesday when asked about those pardons.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Anders Hagstrom, Diana Stancy and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025
House Speaker Johnson captures VP JD Vance’s first visit to the Oval Office on video

House Speaker Mike Johnson channeled his inner dad energy as he excitedly recorded Vice President JD Vance’s first time in the Oval Office. The speaker not only celebrated the moment, but he noted Vance’s background, saying his story is one that could happen “only in America.”

“As we gathered for our meeting at the White House yesterday, JD Vance mentioned to us that he had never before visited the Oval Office. I told him and President Trump that I HAD to capture the moment on video,” Johnson wrote in a post on X. “Only in America can a hardworking young man from Appalachia rise from his humble circumstances to enter the Oval for first time as VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. What a country!”

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS MEET WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, VP VANCE TO ADVANCE AGENDA

Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson speak during the 60th presidential inauguration in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Alexander Drago/Pool via Reuters)

Vance’s background took center stage in the campaign as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Min., made a joke about no one from his small town going to Yale, where Vance got his law degree.

“Now, I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people. I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale,” Walz said during his remarks at the Democratic National Convention.

The Trump campaign was quick to call out Walz’s remarks on social media, calling it a “weird flex.”

Vice President JD Vance takes his oath as his wife Usha Vance watches during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

WHO IS TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE JD VANCE?

Before he was chosen as President Donald Trump’s running mate, Vance served as a senator from Ohio after winning the seat in 2022. However, the current vice president entered the public eye in 2016 when he published his book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” In the book, he details his challenging upbringing in Middletown, Ohio.

Surrounded by poverty, and grappling with his mother’s drug addiction, Vance worked his way into a position to make change.

In 2020, years after the memoir was published, it was turned into a Netflix movie, which was directed by Ron Howard and starred Glenn Close and Amy Adams. “Hillbilly Elegy” faced fierce criticism, which both Close and Adams rejected. Recently, while on “The View,” Close praised the vice president’s “very generous family.”

Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump look on during a rally on Inauguration Day. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

GLENN CLOSE PRAISES ‘GENEROUS’ FAMILY OF JD VANCE DURING ‘HILLBILLY ELEGY’ FILMING, AS ‘VIEW’ HOSTS TAKE JABS

Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins, has been sober for a decade. Aikins briefly addressed the crowd at the Ohio inaugural ball, which was held in Washington, D.C., on Sunday night. She informed the crowd that she officially hit 10 years of sobriety that day and that the next day was her birthday, in addition to it being her son’s inauguration, Cincinnati.com reported.

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Vance returned to his hometown for a rally held at Middletown High School, from which he graduated in 2003. He told the crowd that the town was “so good to me,” and that he was “proud” to be from Middletown.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

January 23, 2025