Rep. Mike Johnson voted new House speaker

After three weeks without a speaker, the House voted Wednesday to elect Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana.

Johnson secured the gavel without losing any GOP votes. The final tally was 220 votes for Johnson and 209 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Here are the key things to know:

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Shania Shelton, Clare Foran, Haley Talbot, Sam Fossum, Morgan Rimmer and Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post.

House Republican Mike Lawler, who comes from a New York swing district, dismissed concerns that his vote for speaker Mike Johnson could hurt him with voters back home and attacked Democrats who heckled him on the floor this afternoon. 

When asked about Johnson’s stance on social issues and his effort to gather signatures in a Texas lawsuit to invalidate electoral college votes in the 2020 election, Lawler downplayed any concern. He added: “Within any conference you’re going to have differences of opinion.”

“I’ve been very clear where I am on these issues,” Lawler told CNN. “Certainly the speaker can defend his own positions. But we’re going to have to work as a conference 221 members currently to get to 218 to pass legislation on the floor.”

Just as Lawler voted for Johnson on the floor this afternoon, a member from across the aisle shouted, “Bye bye!” alluding to his uphill battle in a frontline district. Lawler said he is “not really worried about a few heckles from Democrats in the chamber” and “the people in my district understand who I am.” 

“The reality is no matter who I voted for for speaker, they would have found fault with, no matter who I supported the would have found fault with. So, let’s be real here,” he added. 

The House passed a resolution in support of Israel in the war against Hamas – the first measure to come to the floor after Speaker Mike Johnson was elected earlier Wednesday following three weeks without a speaker.

The final tally was 412 to 10. 

Nine Democrats voted against the resolution:

Six other Democrats voted present:

Rep. Thomas Massie was the sole Republican who voted against the measure.

The House is now voting to pass a resolution in support of Israel in the war against Hamas – the first measure to come to the floor to be passed after Speaker Mike Johnson was elected this morning following three weeks of a speakerless-House.

This is expected to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. 

GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma is considering a run for conference vice chair – the leadership role previously occupied by now-Speaker Mike Johnson, according to her spokesperson.

She is having conversations with her colleagues, her spokesperson said.

President Joe Biden spoke with newly minted Speaker Mike Johnson to congratulate him on his win, the White House said.

“This afternoon, President Biden called Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to congratulate him on his election, and expressed that he looks forward to working together to find common ground on behalf of the American people,” the White House said in a statement to pool.

House conservatives are signaling they’ll give the newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson some runway and flexibility as the House barrels toward a November 17 spending deadline to fund the government.

This marks a clear departure from how those same members viewed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision earlier this month to put a short-term spending bill on the floor, which ultimately led to his ouster. 

“I have never been comfortable with CRs (continuing resolutions), but it … is going to be difficult for Mike and anyone who steps into that job, but I think he is going to do a great job,” Rep. Eli Crane, a Republican, told CNN. 

Pressed on whether conservatives might give Johnson some leeway when it comes to keeping the government open, Crane said: “You know it is very possible that there will be Democrat and Republican votes working together. That being said, I think that just how he is going to lead, it is going to make it easier for everyone to follow his lead.”

In a letter to colleagues earlier Wednesday, Johnson outlined his first priority will be trying to pass the remaining spending bills that have so far languished in the House one by one. But Johnson indicated that given the time constraints, if those bills can’t pass quickly, he’d look to fund to government using what is known as a short-term spending bill or continuing resolution that would run either through January 15 or April 15, whichever the conference supports. 

Conservatives are largely still calling for spending cuts and may even demand them in a short-term spending bill. Asked if he would back a short-term spending bill through January, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry told CNN only “if it cuts spending.”

“We don’t support a clean CR, I don’t support a clean CR,” he said. 

But the same members are warning they do believe Johnson starts in a more solid place with conservatives than McCarthy did. 

“There is a new level of trust with Speaker Johnson that did not exist previously,” Rep. Bob Good told CNN. “That’s why we have a new speaker.” 

The reality for Johnson is that the same dynamics that befell McCarthy will exist for him.

The Senate and the White House are still controlled by Democrats and any spending bill passed will need Democratic support to become law and avert a shutdown. But what you hear from conservatives – at least in the minutes before and after Johnson won the speaker’s election – is they are willing to give some room for Johnson to maneuver in his new role. 

Asked if he would bring a vote to oust Johnson if he put forth a short-term spending bill at current spending levels, Rep. Matt Gaetz said he’s optimistic Johnson will be able to actually pass the individual spending bills. 

The challenge for House Republicans is they still have eight more spending bills to pass including two that have been stuck in committee because of disagreements within GOP ranks. In his letter to colleagues, Johnson set out an aggressive time table for passing the bills, but the issue will be finding a way to pass the legislation in just a narrow GOP majority.  

Conservatives are signaling that they feel more optimistic that Johnson will be able to unify the conference.

“The door to the speaker’s office now is open to the members and to the constituents, not just the lobbyists,” Rep. Matt Rosendale told reporters. 

The members who ousted McCarthy also told reporters that they have no regrets now about ousting McCarthy.

House Speaker Mike Johnson entered the speaker’s office for the first time after being sworn in, with his new name plate hanging above the door.

He did not answer shouted questions from the press. 

The House is expected to vote on a resolution in support of Israel on Wednesday afternoon, according to a notice from the House Democratic whip.

The timing of the vote has been pushed, and it is now expect this around 4:45 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. ET.

It will need to come up as a suspension vote — an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage. 

Sources told CNN earlier Wednesday that there was a “big push” to bring the bill to the floor once the House elected a new speaker. Rep. Mike Johnson secured the speakership with 220 votes.

“The first bill that I’ll bring to this floor in just a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel,” Johnson said during his first remarks after being elected House Speaker. “We’re overdue in getting that done.”

There’s a strong desire among Republicans to show a functioning House after being paralyzed for weeks following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

“We’re going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the barbarism of Hamas that we have all seen play out on our television screens is wretched and wrong and we’re going to stand for the good in that conflict,” Johnson said.

Now that Speaker Mike Johnson was elected and the House reopened, one of the questions looming is whether Republicans will try to punish their eight colleagues who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and whether there will be changes to the rules around how a motion to vacate the speaker chair is handled. 

GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw told CNN he plans to propose a rule change to how a motion to vacate works so that the chair is not vacated until a new speaker is elected. 

“I think one that everybody would agree on is that if there is a vacate that the current speaker does not step down until a new speaker is elected,” Crenshaw said.

GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa told CNN the threshold needs to be raised to at least 25 members so it’s not just one member bringing forward a motion to oust the speaker like GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz did with McCarthy.

But it remains an open question on if the eight Republicans who started all of this will be punished.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, fresh of his victory on the House floor, said he will pursue an “aggressive schedule” in the weeks ahead, pointing to the bipartisan support for an Israel resolution expected on the House floor shortly, but not taking questions on his plans to avoid a shutdown. 

“You’re going to see an aggressive schedule in the days and weeks ahead, you’re gonna see Congress working as hard as it’s ever worked and we are going to deliver for the American people,” he said. 

Johnson alluded to the chaos that paralyzed the House and distracted from the GOP agenda. “We’re in the majority right now. We’ve gone through a little bit of suffering. We’ve gone through a little bit of character building, and you know what has produced more strength, more perseverance and a lot of hope, and that’s what we’re about to deliver to the American people,” Johnson said. 

Johnson said they will “govern well” and that the American people will be “very pleased with those results.” 

He added that they will get right to work and “dispense with all the usual ceremonies and deliberations that traditionally follow a new speakership.” 

“We have no time for either one, the American people’s businesses to urgent in this moment,” he added. 

He did not take questions.

President Joe Biden’s campaign warned Wednesday that the election of House Speaker Mike Johnson “cements the extreme MAGA takeover of the House Republican Conference.”

In a statement, Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa criticized Johnson as a “loyal foot soldier” of former President Donald Trump, warning Johnson will seek “to ban abortion nationwide, lead efforts to deny free and fair election results, gut Social Security and Medicare, and advance the extreme MAGA agenda at the expense of middle-class families.” 

“22 days before Congress must act to avoid a government shutdown and while our allies overseas at war depend on our help, extreme MAGA House Republicans elevated a man to second-in-line to the presidency who still won’t admit President Biden won the 2020 election,” Moussa wrote. “The American people have rejected the extreme MAGA ideology at the ballot box because they understand what’s at stake. And so to every MAGA Republican who supported this choice: We’ll see you in November.”

Biden has issued his own statement congratulating Johnson and urging Congress “to move swiftly” to address pressing issues.

In a news conference following his election, House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the speakership fight within the Republican party that left the seat vacant for more than three weeks, arguing that it has made the conference stronger.

“We’re in the majority right now. We’ve gone through a little bit of suffering,” Johnson said with a smile, earning a few laughs from his GOP colleagues.

“We’ve gone through a little bit of character building and you know what it’s produced? More strength, more perseverance and a lot of hope. And that’s what we’re about to deliver for the American people,” he added.

President Joe Biden responded Wednesday to the news Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected House speaker, congratulating him while calling on Congress “to move swiftly to address our national security needs and to avoid a shutdown in 22 days.” 

“While House Republicans spent the last 22 days determining who would lead their conference, I have worked on those pressing issues, proposing a historic supplemental funding package that advances our bipartisan national security interests in Israel and Ukraine, secures our border, and invests in the American people,” Biden said in a statement. “These priorities have been endorsed by leaders in both parties.” 

In his statement, Biden acknowledged “real disagreements about important issues,” but noted “there should be mutual effort to find common ground wherever we can.” 

“This is a time for all of us to act responsibly, and to put the good of the American people and the everyday priorities of American families above any partisanship,” he added. 

Earlier Wednesday, Biden told reporters he wasn’t concerned that Johnson, who solicited signatures for an amicus brief in 2020 in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from multiple states, would seek to overturn a 2024 Biden victory. 

“Because he can’t — look, just like I was not worried that the last guy would be able to overturn the election,” Biden said during a Rose Garden news conference. “They had about 60 lawsuits, and it went all the way to the Supreme Court — every time they lost. I understand the Constitution.”

Majority Leader Steve Scalise offered words of support for House Speaker Mike Johnson following his election.

The pair are both from Louisiana and have known each other for years. 

“I’ve known Mike since I was in the state house. He’s an incredibly hard worker, very passionate about this country. And we have a very similar approach to getting our country back on track and we’ve talked about some of those policies and some of the bills that are ready to move,” Scalise said. 

“We got to get our country back on track. And Mike’s ready to go.”

Shortly after Speaker Mike Johnson was sworn in, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that he plans to speak with Johnson about how to avoid a possible government shutdown next month. 

“Look, I look forward to sitting down with Speaker Johnson to discuss a path forward to avoid a government shutdown,” said Schumer. 

He also encouraged Johnson to work with Democrats in the weeks ahead.

“I will tell him, as I say over and over again, the only way to avoid a shutdown, to pass the supplemental, and do things for the American people is bipartisan, and I hope and look forward to working with him in a bipartisan way. I hope he will,” he said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said during his first remarks following his election that the chamber would begin taking up the debt crisis “immediately” as Congress looks to avert a government shutdown.

“We know this is not going to be an easy task, and tough decisions will have to be made,” Johnson said. “But the consequences, if we don’t act now, are unbearable.”

He added that he will establish a debt commission to address the issue.

Remember: Congress has until November 17 to pass a government spending bill to avoid a shutdown that would have impacts ranging from how federal agencies function to the salaries of federal employees.

Earlier Wednesday, Johnson proposed a short-term spending bill that would expire January 15 or April 15 — depending on what the House Republican conference decides — if Congress gets to the funding deadline without its single subject spending bills passed, according to a copy of his appropriations proposal provided to CNN.

Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana has been sworn in as speaker of the House.

The Dean of the House, Hal Rogers, read the oath of office.

In his first address to the House after winning the speaker’s gavel, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and former speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson told Jeffries that he looks forward to working with him.

“I know we see things from different points of view, but I know in your heart you want to do what’s right — so we’ll find common ground there,” Johnson said.

On McCarthy, Johnson said, “Kevin has dedicated over two decades of his life to selfless public service, 16 of those years in this House.” 

“And you would be hard-pressed to find anybody who loves this institution more or has contributed more to it. He is the reason we’re in this majority today. His impact can never be overstated,” he added.

He also thanked the “overworked” and “beleaguered” staff of the House.

Johnson said his wife couldn’t be with him for his election to speaker, saying “we couldn’t get a flight in time. This happened sort of suddenly” but pledged that “the People’s House is back in business.”

The sudden rise of the Louisiana congressman to the speaker’s office capped a 22-day vacancy for the second in line to the presidency, and just over 20 hours after he threw his name into nomination following the House failing to elect a speaker three different times after the ouster of Kevin McCarthy. But he made a promise to the chamber: “I will not let you down.”

He said that the first bill he will bring to the floor later Wednesday will be a resolution in support of Israel, an announcement that drew cheers in the chamber. 

Johnson also said the House would begin taking up the debt crisis “immediately.”

Johnson promised that his speakership would be known for “trust and transparency and accountability, for good stewardship of the people’s treasure, for the honesty, integrity that is incumbent upon us, all of us, in the people’s house.”

CNN’s Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post.

Rep. Mike Johnson is delivering remarks now in the House chamber after being elected speaker.

There were 220 votes for Johnson and 209 votes for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. There was unanimous GOP support behind Johnson. One Republican – Rep. Derrick Van Orden – was absent from the vote.

A new sign bearing speaker-elect Mike Johnson’s name is now up outside the speaker’s office.

President Joe Biden told reporters “no” he’s not concerned that Speaker-elect Mike Johnson of Louisiana would overturn the presidential election results in 2024 if Biden wins reelection. 

In 2020, Johnson sent an email from a personal email account in 2020 to every House Republican soliciting signatures for an amicus brief in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from multiple states.

After the election was called in favor of Biden on November 7, 2020, Johnson posted on X, then known as Twitter, “I have just called President Trump to say this: ‘Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.’”

Pressed Wednesday on why he wasn’t worried Johnson might attempt to overturn a free and fair election, as he did in 2020, Biden said, “Because he can’t — look, just like I was not worried that the last guy would be able to overturn the election.” 

“They had about 60 lawsuits, and it went all the way to the Supreme Court — every time they lost,” the president added. “I understand the Constitution.”

Earlier in the news conference where Biden was speaking with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a reporter informed the two leaders of the news Johnson had secured the votes to become speaker.

Biden responded, “I hope that’s true because we have to get moving, we have to get moving.”

Former President Donald Trump congratulated new House Speaker Mike Johnson, taking credit for helping him win.

“I just want to congratulate Mike Johnson. He will be a great Speaker of the House and we were very happy to help,” Trump said outside the courtroom for his civil fraud trial moments after his win.

The Republican lawmaker from Louisiana was elected Wednesday afternoon, three weeks after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster.

“At this time yesterday, no one was thinking of Mike — and then we put out the word and now he’s the speaker of the House,” Trump said.

Trump called him a “tremendous man” and said he’s “going to make us all proud.”

Trump previously backed Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker but Jordan failed to reach the necessary number of votes.  

Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected House speaker, setting off procedures to swear the Louisiana Republican in. Here’s what happens next:

Some lawmakers are pushing to pass a bipartisan resolution Wednesday condemning Hamas and expressing support for Israel, sources say.

The sponsors of the bill were told it would be the first vote brought to the floor after a new House speaker is elected, the sources told CNN. They said it could get a vote later today.

Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House Wednesday afternoon, securing 220 votes.

A vote on the Israel resolution is not set in stone on the schedule yet, but there’s a strong desire among Republicans to show a functioning House after being paralyzed for weeks following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

If it does come to the floor on Wednesday, it would have to come up under suspension — an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage. 

Rep. Mike Johnson, who was elected as the new House speaker moments ago, has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Louisiana Republican was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.

Johnson also sent an email from a personal email account in 2020 to every House Republican soliciting signatures for an amicus brief in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from multiple states.

After the election was called in favor of Joe Biden on November 7, 2020, Johnson posted on X, then known as Twitter, “I have just called President Trump to say this: ‘Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.’”

Although Trump said he won’t endorse anyone in the speaker’s race Wednesday, he leant support to Johnson in a post on Truth Social.

“In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!” Trump posted.

Johnson serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He is also a former chair of the Republican Study Committee.

After receiving a degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Johnson took on roles as a college professor and conservative talk radio host. He began his political career in the Louisiana legislature, where he served from 2015 to 2017, before being elected to Congress in Louisiana’s Fourth District.

Read more about Johnson’s career.

House Republicans have elected Rep. Mike Johnson as the new speaker – a major moment that comes three weeks after Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.

There were 220 votes for Johnson and 209 votes for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. There was unanimous GOP support behind Johnson. One Republican – Van Orden – was absent from the vote.

Johnson has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Johnson was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role.

An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.

Read more about Johnson.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post.

Rep. Mike Johnson, a key figure in failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, seems to have enough votes to secure the gavel after weeks of GOP infighting left the House in chaos.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — who was ousted from the speakership earlier this month — voted for speaker designee Mike Johnson, resulting in applause from fellow Republican members.

The GOP party also cheered on Rep. Jim Jordan, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer — all who had launched bids for the speakership — after they voted for Johnson.

CNN Political Director David Chalian notes that as the House approached the halfway mark of the floor vote, Republican Mike Johnson has lost zero votes from members of his party.

“Look at where it says others. Zero. We have not been here before in this whole process. Zero members are voting for somebody other than the two nominees,” Chalian said. 

Chalian noted that the last Republican candidate to win the speaker’s gavel on the first vote was Paul Ryan in 2017.

The House is voting now to elect a speaker. This is the first round of voting with Rep. Mike Johnson as the Republican speaker nominee. 

Voting will be done verbally with members called by name alphabetically and then stating their choice for speaker. Members can also choose to vote present. If a member doesn’t vote, they will get a chance to vote at the end of the roll call. 

Remember: Members can change their vote until the gavel comes down.

Johnson has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

California Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker.

He began his nomination speech by criticizing House Republicans.

“We are back here 22 days into this Republican manufactured chaos and House Republicans have brought us to the exact same position that we were back then. All of the infighting, all the disarray, just to end up where we were three weeks ago,” he said.

Amidst boos from Republicans in the chamber, Aguilar said this speaker election for Republicans has been about “who can appease Donald Trump” and went on to criticize their latest pick for Speaker designee Mike Johnson, calling him “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” to the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“On this side of the aisle, we know what leadership looks like,” Aguilar said.

“Hakeem Jeffries has not turned his back on the will of the American people. The son of two social workers, he’s always stood by the side of working families. The most pressing needs of everyday Americans are his north star.”

House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik nominated speaker designee Mike Johnson on the House floor Wednesday as the GOP looks to elect a speaker after failing to fill the vacancy for three weeks.

“On behalf of the House Republican conference, I rise today to nominate the gentleman from Louisiana, Mike Johnson, as speaker of the people’s house,” Stefanik said, which followed loud applause.

Stefanik added that Johnson “epitomizes what it means to be a servant leader.”

“Mike is a titan on the [House] Judiciary Committee and a dedicated member of the House Armed Services Committee, and as vice chair of our conference, he has united all of our members to speak clearly and boldly on behalf of the American people,” Stefanik said. “A friend to all and an enemy to none, Mike is strong, tough, and fair, and above all, Mike is kind.” 

Stefanik made the argument that Johnson is the best candidate as “we live in perilous times and the American people are hurting.”

“House Republicans and speaker Mike Johnson will never give up,” she added. “Today is the day to get this done.”

Speaker designee Mike Johnson is working the floor ahead of his speakership vote, shaking hands and taking selfies with members.

A member approached and handed him a book that appeared to have “Jesus” written on the front. Several members have also handed him letters which he is carrying around. 

Rep. Jim Jordan is seated in the back of the chamber, frowning, seated next to Rep. Warren Davidson, one of his allies. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik is positioned at the dais ready to nominate Johnson. 

The overall mood in the chamber is chipper, members are chatty, and laughter can be heard echoing from various conversations. 

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar has been on the GOP side exclusively this morning, talking to Stefanik for a while. 

Rep. Eli Crane has his kids in the chamber and is seated near the back right behind GOP hardliners Reps. Ken Buck, Andy Biggs, and Matt Rosendale. 

Rep. Don Bacon is seated next to New York GOP members Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito, as he did for the previous votes. 

Members of the House are now nominating representatives from their party for the speakership.

The House has finished its roll call vote with 429 members present. There were four absences.

Nominating speeches for candidates for speaker will happen next. Then, the House will proceed to the speaker vote. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York will nominate speaker designee Mike Johnson on the House floor, two sources tell CNN.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he doesn’t see a lot of daylight between Speaker designee Rep. Mike Johnson and former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

Jeffries told CNN he doesn’t believe Johnson’s politics are more conservative than that of McCarthy.

“Both Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. They both support a nationwide ban on abortion. They both want to criminalize abortion care, and they both want to undermine Social Security and Medicare. Those are core issues for Democrats. There’s no daylight between Mike Johnson and Kevin McCarthy on those issues,” he said. 

When asked about whether he’d be open to a short-term spending bill with spending cuts, Jeffries said “no.”

Two members have said they will be absent from the speaker vote today: Republican Derrick van Orden and Democratic Rep. Lou Correa.

With those two absences, plus two vacancies, there are expected to be 431 members casting a vote for speaker.

Speaker-designee Mike Johnson will need 216 votes to prevail, which means he can only lose four Republican votes and still claim the gavel.

Correa’s office told CNN that “yesterday afternoon, Mr. Correa was called back home to Orange County for an immediate family emergency. He hopes to be back and voting in Washington as soon as possible.”

Van Orden is in Israel and is not expected to be back, according to a source familiar. 

House GOP firebrand Matt Gaetz, who led the effort to strip the gavel from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said that he would give speaker designee Mike Johnson more leeway than McCarthy if he has to agree to a short-term funding bill to keep the government open. 

“I wouldn’t fault speaker Johnson if we have to have some sort of bridge to those single subject bills, but that was never in the cards with Speaker McCarthy,” Gaetz told CNN’s Manu Raju, adding: “There’s a fundamental difference. Kevin McCarthy took six weeks off in August, which was the tell that he was never serious about single subject bills.”

He also said: “Mike Johnson’s goal is to get a single subject spending bills, Kevin McCarthy never had that goal, you might have said so. But like many things with Kevin McCarthy, it lacks truthfulness and sincerity.”

When asked by CNN whether he is giving a lot more leeway to Johnson, Gaetz said, “I trust Mike Johnson. And I know Mike Johnson wants to achieve the goals I wanted to achieve. I didn’t trust Kevin McCarthy because he wanted to achieve the goals that K Street wanted to achieve.”

On Ukraine aid, Gaetz said he was “heartened” that Johnson did not highlight further money for the war-torn country. 

“I was heartened that last night when Mike Johnson gave his acceptance remarks, he talked about Israel and we didn’t hear so much about excessive involvement for the United States in figuring out who’s going to run Crimea,” Gaetz said. 

The House is starting a call of the House, a roll call of present members.

Note: This is not the speaker vote — that vote will come after.

However, this vote remains significant because it gives the first glimpse to determine how many members are present and who is absent. Both are key factors in determining the majority vote threshold for the speaker election.

If a member misses this vote, they can still vote in the speaker’s election if they show up for it.

On his way to the House floor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, “Yes,” when asked if he thinks Rep. Mike Johnson has the votes to become speaker. 

He also said Johnson will be able to marshal the conference to avoid a government shutdown next month. 

The House is reconvening and is expected to hold a vote to elect a new speaker.

Rep. Mike Johnson, who serves as the House GOP conference vice chairman, secured the nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. He is the GOP’s fourth speaker nominee since Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position earlier this month.

When asked by CNN if this would be his final day as temporary speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry said “that’s the goal.”

“It’s been 23 days. I’m done with predictions,” McHenry added, when asked if Johnson would prevail today. 

Tuesday’s vote to nominate Johnson capped off a chaotic day that started with Republicans picking Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to be their nominee only for him to drop out hours later after facing stiff resistance from the right flank of the conference and a rebuke from former President Donald Trump.

Following the nomination vote, House Republicans took another vote to gauge the nominee’s support within the conference. There were around 20 members absent for that vote and Johnson can only lose four votes on the floor — creating uncertainty over whether he will have the needed votes for the gavel.

CNN’s Clare Foran and Haley Talbot contributed reporting to this post.

Speaker designee Mike Johnson told reporters leaving his office that he expects to get the 217 votes needed to become House speaker on the first round of voting today.

Johnson told CNN he will win “on the first vote.”

When asked by CNN if he had done a whip count to see where all members of the House GOP conference stood, Johnson said, “I have. I think we are going to unify today I’m excited about it.”

Pressed on his plan to pass a short-term funding bill when government funding runs out on November 17, when he voted against a similar bill to keep the government open past September 30, Johnson said, “We’re going to talk this over and build consensus in the Congress. I’ve laid out a plan. But we’re not getting into it right now. First, we got to get this ceremonial thing done here.”

Johnson did not answer when asked if he still believed the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

After three weeks of infighting, division and tensions that left the House paralyzed they will again attempt to elect a speaker this afternoon.

Rep. Mike Johnson, who serves as the House GOP Conference vice chairman, was nominated last night and will head to the floor right at noon ET when the House convenes. 

Here’s how we expect things to go this afternoon:

The first actual vote should begin around 12:30/12:45 p.m. ET, following a prayer, pledge, call of the House and the nominations.  

As of this writing, we do not know who will nominate Johnson. House Democrats will nominate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries expects full attendance from his caucus today. 

Then the House will vote via roll call. Their names will be called in alphabetical order, where they will call out the name of their preferred candidate, be it Johnson, Jeffries or a different name. Members can also opt to vote PRESENT, which casts no vote. 

Last night there were three present votes behind closed doors from Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, French Hill of Arkansas and Mark Amodei of Nevada. After voting present last night in conference, Amodei spoke to speaker designee Johnson for about a half hour last night and committed to backing him on the floor. Amodei told CNN that his message to Johnson was simple, he just needed to know him a bit better since the two have never really run in the same circles.

Additionally, Massie this morning said he would support Johnson after voting present last night. “After speaking with him this morning, I’m committed to vote for Mike Johnson when we go to the floor of the House,” Massie posted on X. 

Remember, the math is tricky here: The prevailing candidate will be the one who wins 50% +1 of the total number of the House voting for a person. Should a member not vote or vote present, that will drop the target number that a candidate needs to reach. The current enrollment of the House is 433, so 217 votes are necessary if every member casts an affirmative vote. Should a member miss their chance during the roll call, they will have an opportunity to cast their vote at the end. 

Johnson can only afford to lose four members if all members in attendance vote for a candidate.

If no candidate reaches the threshold of 50%+1, then the process begins anew with nominations and a roll call vote.

Speaker designee Mike Johnson has proposed a short-term spending bill that would expire January 15 or April 15 — depending on what the House Republican conference decides — if Congress gets to the November 17 funding deadline without its single subject spending bills passed, according to a copy of his appropriations proposal provided to CNN.

Johnson said he would introduce the short-term spending bill to give Republicans more time to pass the single subject appropriations bills, many of which are dead on arrival in the Senate.

The ambitious schedule that Johnson lays out in the letter includes cancelling August recess unless all single subject spending bills are passed. 

The short-term funding proposal comes as Johnson was one of the 91 Republicans who voted against the short-term spending bill on September 30 that extended government funding until November 17. 

Ohio Republican Rep. Warren Davidson told CNN earlier Wednesday that Johnson won the support of the GOP conference as the nominee by laying out a concrete plan for his colleagues as Congress looks to avert a government shutdown.

Sen. Bill Cassidy praised his fellow Louisianan, Speaker-designee Mike Johnson, and described his legislative style as “pragmatic.” 

“He’s a good guy, he’ll do a good job if he’s elected,” said Cassidy.  

“He was head of RSC (Republican Study Committee), and I think we’ve seen that people look to him for leadership, even after he ceased to be chair of the RSC,” he said. 

Cassidy added, “yes,” he believes that Johnson can lead the House to keep the government open, as the next funding deadline looms. 

However, the No.2 Senate Republican, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, said, “I don’t know him.”

“May have met him, but that’s about it,” he added. 

Rep. Gregory Meeks told CNN that House Democrats will not provide any votes for the new GOP speaker designee Mike Johnson and that they “are locked in, strong, devoted” in voting for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as speaker.

There will be “no difference from Democrats on the vote at twelve o’clock,” the New York Democrat said.

Former President Donald Trump said he thinks speaker designee Mike Johnson will be a “fantastic speaker,” and believes he’ll win the gavel.

Speaking outside the New York courtroom where his civil fraud trial is taking place, Trump said he thinks the Louisiana Republican will do very well.

“He is a tremendous congressman, respected by everybody,” Trump said. “I haven’t heard one negative comment about him. Everybody likes him. Respected by all.”

“He could be somebody that’s gonna be really spectacular and maybe for many years to come. He’ll be very good, so we’re very happy about that,” Trump added.

More about Johnson: The lawmaker has been a vocal supporter of Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021.

During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.

Senior Republicans tell CNN they are growing increasingly confident that Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana could clinch the speakership on the first ballot of today’s round of voting, as all the different wings of the party quickly rally behind him and, so far, no one has vowed to oppose him on the floor. 

Republicans are being driven right now by an overwhelming desire to put on united front and leave these tumultuous three weeks behind them.

Remember: Johnson became the fourth Republican to secure the GOP nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. Emmer was nominated earlier in the day, only to then exit the race after failing to lock up the necessary votes to win the gavel, following Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana.

Ohio Republican Rep. Warren Davidson described speaker designee Mike Johnson as a “brilliant” but “very wonky guy” who won the support of the GOP conference by laying out a concrete plan for his colleagues.

“It’s not just about a person, it is about a plan,” Davidson told CNN on Wednesday. “I think he was able to build a convincing message for the plan.”

Davidson added that Johnson presented a plan “to get all of our appropriations bills done, not just a giant omnibus,” and emphasized that the Louisiana Republican has no strong opponents in the conference.

On the other hand, Davidson said, Majority Whip Tom Emmer — who dropped out of the speaker race Tuesday just hours after being nominated by the conference — “is widely liked, but it was like, ‘well what is the plan to get this done?’ The dialogue on that wasn’t bringing everybody together.”

Davidson attributed his party’s three-week-long endeavor to elect a speaker to its slim majority in the House.

“Frankly, there are a lot of wires. Don’t cut the wrong wire, this could blow up,” Davidson said of his party’s infighting. “Coalitions are fragile. Especially when they’re tiny.”

Davidson added that he is “excited” about Johnson’s nomination, saying that a House GOP led by Johnson would not accept President Joe Biden’s supplemental in whole. He also expressed optimism that Congress will be able to avoid a government shutdown next month.

Remember: Congress faces a November 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown but without a speaker, the House cannot pass any bills, including the necessary spending legislation.

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie said Wednesday that he will vote for speaker designee Mike Johnson after voting present Tuesday night.

“After speaking with him this morning, I’m committed to vote for Mike Johnson when we go to the floor of the House. He has my full support,” Massie said in a post on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

Massie was among three holdouts who didn’t back Johnson during the last vote. Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei, another holdout, also shared Wednesday that he will now vote for Johnson.

Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations committee who would have to work with the eventual House speaker to avoid a government shutdown, told CNN that she doesn’t know who speaker designee Mike Johnson is.

“I was going to Google him this morning as a matter of fact,” the Maine Republican said when asked what it would be like to work with Johnson on spending issues.

Remember: Congress faces a November 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown but without a speaker, the House cannot pass any bills, including the necessary spending legislation.

Republicans’ House speaker morass continued Tuesday with a little help from former President Donald Trump.

Yet another lawmaker with support from most House Republicans – Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who was picked as their party’s nominee – failed to get the support of nearly all Republicans. He dropped out of the running Tuesday afternoon, leaving Republicans again back at square one. Late Tuesday, the GOP conference selected a fourth nominee, Rep. Mike Johnson, who faces a floor vote Wednesday.

Emmer, who supports military aid to Ukraine and who voted to certify the 2020 election, saw his chances fade in the most bizarre possible way hours after being picked.

Trump lobbied against Emmer with a social media post that hit while Emmer was trying to convince a few dozen skeptics on Capitol Hill and Trump was inside a New York courtroom facing civil fraud charges. Trump later told reporters outside the courtroom, “It looks like he’s finished.”

After one fired speaker and three failed candidates who got majority but not universal support, no one seems currently capable of uniting their tiny House majority – and the idea of getting help from Democrats remains, for now, unthinkable to both Republicans and Democrats.

A picture of parties divided: It’s a situation that highlights not only Republican divisions, but also the bright line between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

But it’s important to note that it was born of a fringe protest meant to demonstrate there’s no difference at all between the two parties.

What is “uniparty?” The term “uniparty” has been a favorite of people like Steve Bannon, the former Trump White House official turned podcaster. He’s been using it for years in conjunction with the similarly cynical idea of Washington as a swamp that needs to be drained or the belief in a deep state that needs to be rooted out.

Bannon’s goal is to mobilize support for dismantling the current version of the US government.

The term also features prominently in the more-conservative-than-Fox-News media environment – networks like One America News, known as OAN, and Salem Radio.

Read the full analysis here.

After voting present last night in conference, Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei spoke to speaker designee Rep. Mike Johnson for about a half hour last night and committed to backing him on the floor. Amodei told CNN that his message to Johnson was simple, he just needed to know him a bit better since the two have never really run in the same circles.

Specifically, Amodei wanted to share some specific lands issues he had in the Silver State and gauge whether Johnson would be receptive to hearing him out, addressing some concerns. He has two lands bills he does want to get to the floor. One for northern Nevada and one for Clark County. He told CNN he wanted to talk through the issues with Johnson.

Amodei said that he wasn’t looking for a commitment or a promise, but wanted to ensure that a future speaker from the South would understand some specific issues for a western member.

Amodei said he will also meet with Johnson’s staff this morning to continue the conversation about Nevada lands issues.

Former President Trump said he wouldn’t endorse in the speaker’s race Wednesday — but then leant support to the nominee Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana.

“My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT,” Trump posted on Truth Social. 

On Tuesday, Trump posted what appeared to be text messages from GOP lawmaker and Trump ally Chuck Fleischmann to a Trump campaign aide. 

“I’m in speaker race now… Please tell President Trump…Thanks,” wrote Fleischmann who briefly entered the race Tuesday but then was eliminated in the first round of voting.

“All candidates now 100 percent Trump… I preached Trump in my speech,” the messages continue.

Trump has been known to post text messages from allies as quotes on his social media platform. The text messages, confirmed by the Trump campaign, show the grip that Trump still has over large parts of the Republican Party as he seeks a second term in the White House. 

Sources close to the former president indicated that Trump did not have strong feelings on Johnson but was pleased to see a Trump aligned nominee.

Johnson has been a vocal supporter of Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Rep. Mike Johnson is set to take his fight for the speakership to the House floor on Wednesday, a pivotal moment for House Republicans that comes amid uncertainty over whether the Louisiana lawmaker can secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.

Johnson, who serves as the House GOP conference vice chairman, secured the nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. The vote capped off a chaotic day that started with Republicans picking Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to be their latest nominee only for him to drop out hours later after facing stiff resistance from the right flank of the conference and a rebuke from former President Donald Trump. The day ended with a vote to elect a new nominee – this time, Johnson won out.

The GOP conference is under increasing pressure as the House remains paralyzed without a speaker. But Republicans have so far struggled to unite behind a successor to Kevin McCarthy following his historic ouster. The vote to push out McCarthy plunged the House into uncharted territory and it has remained unclear whether any candidate can win the gavel in the aftermath of the unprecedented move.

Following the nomination vote, House Republicans took another vote to gauge the nominee’s support within the conference. There were around 20 members absent for that vote and Johnson can only lose four votes on the floor, creating uncertainty over whether he will have the needed votes for the gavel.

“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson said Tuesday evening. “The intention is to go to the House floor tomorrow and make this official. So we will be doing that.”

Emmer was the third Republican to win the GOP nomination only to then exit the race after failing to lock up the necessary votes to win the gavel, following Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise also of Louisiana.

After winning the party nomination, Emmer faced swift opposition from the right flank of his conference as well as a rebuke from Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Emmer a “Globalist RINO,” and said that voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.”

Read more about the House speaker race here.