EDITORIAL: Speaker Mike Johnson delivers for America — again
In his growing political epic, Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) sets a goal, is told by Democrats and the media that he can’t or won’t achieve it, and then pulls everything together.
Sometimes this A-Team level of success happens at the last minute, and usually with unnecessary hiccups inflicted by his fellow Republicans. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was only the latest in a saga of nail-biting wins befitting a House legend behind the gavel.
This past week, Johnson, President Donald Trump, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D) pulled off a political hat trick, delivering on Trump’s campaign pledges and handing Americans the largest tax cut in history.
In so doing, the GOP’s leading trio showed conservative governance is the future of America and forced every Democrat in D.C. into a difficult position: get along with Republicans or side with their base that is literally demanding blood.
Democrats — progressives and so-called moderates alike — all voted in lockstep against the historic legislation. Had they been successful, Americans would have seen the largest tax increase in history, to say the least, and with the same calls for violence against Republicans.
We at the Washington Reporter would be remiss if we didn’t note that the cowardly Capitol Hill press corps did not press a single Democrat about the attempted tax hike, why they oppose work requirements for Medicaid, or why they oppose school choice provisions, among the litany of other common-sense provisions they fought tooth and nail against.
We could go on. And we will.
The OBBB’s key provisions are both popular and are ones that the Speaker has been backing, including in Washington Reporter interviews, for months. The American people demanded these changes in November. Trump, Johnson, and Thune delivered on those calls for change — and Johnson himself was at the forefront of pushing back against the Democrats’ well-funded “misinformation.”
“The biggest piece of misinformation, obviously, is on Medicaid,” Johnson told the Reporter’s own Matthew Foldi back in March. “They made that their cause célèbre. They had signs on the floor during the president's speech. The president has been crystal clear that we are going to save and preserve Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, and we've all said the same thing at the same time, there's an enormous amount of fraud, waste, abuse and inefficiencies in all those programs, including Medicaid.”
The Republicans’ OBBB promises to be a legacy-defining piece of legislation for the three men, and for their teams (Trump’s legislative team practically lived on Capitol Hill until the bill got passed, we’re told). The finished product showed the American people that a united GOP working for them will ultimately steamroll the Democrats’ incredibly well-funded, vocal, and poorly photoshopped opposition.
This unity was on full display leading up to the critical vote. Prior to the final House vote, both rank-and-file and leadership House Republicans repeatedly told the Reporter in interviews that the bill was simply a must-pass. They argued, rightfully, that the once-in-a-generation opportunity to codify Trump’s pro-growth agenda was simply too important to miss. And they acted on it.
Looking ahead, it’s hard to imagine that any legislative measures could be as consequential for Johnson, Thune, and Trump this Congress. But that won’t stop the speaker; Johnson is now looking to defy history and expand his tiny majority. The Johnson-aligned super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), just announced plans to do just that.
Chris Winkelman, CLF’s president, rolled out an ambitious, multi-million dollar plan to target “prosperity voters” who value work and success, but who don’t necessarily vote in midterms.
“We have a chance now to convert these voters and turn this into a party that performs well in midterms,” Winkelman explained. “Once we’ve done that, this is a real force multiplier for our party for years to come.”
Johnson, seemingly discontent with resting on his well-deserved laurels, is now aiming to reshape how America’s electorate votes in the midterms.
And, if history holds true, Johnson might just get the job done again in his signature style.
