Gingrich backs Johnson over ‘destructive’ House Republicans after funding debacle
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the way he's handled his role as top Republican in the House, which just narrowly averted a government shutdown following a days-long rollercoaster.
"Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, is doing an extraordinary job. I tell everybody, I was a pretty effective speaker. I could never do his job. He has no margins. Any two or three members can rebel at any moment," Gingrich told John Catsimatidis on his show "Cats Roundtable" on WABC 770 AM.
Leaders in the House cycled through multiple plans until finally passing the continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown just hours before the deadline.
The near-shutdown leaves serious questions about how the Speaker will lead lawmakers in the lower chamber under President-elect Trump — and whether he can keep his gavel.
Gingrich applauded Johnson's efforts to avoid a government shutdown and urged the GOP to become more unified.
"They need a Republican unity program for the next two years. These guys who wake up every morning and say, ‘I’m going to vote no. What’s the issue?’ are totally destructive and hand the House over to the Democrats," Gingrich warned.
"So they need to start this year with a pledge that every Republican is going to stick together. We’re going to be a single team," he added.
Amid the shutdown chaos, Gingrich suggested Trump would be “better off” letting the government shut down in an interview with Fox News last week.
“I think that President Trump would be much better off to let the government close to let Biden sit there as a totally incompetent president presiding over a mess, and to go to the country and say to the country, ‘I am not going to be a president who sells you out. I need your help to convince the Congress to pass a good bill,'” Gingrich said at the time.
His comment during the Fox News interview came as a bipartisan 1,500-page continuing resolution to keep the government funded into the new year went down in flames after it came under criticism from Trump allies, including Elon Musk, and eventually Trump himself. The backlash led to Johnson's plan B deal, which ultimately failed in the House.
-
Puerto Rico's power slowly coming back on after New Year's Eve blackout
Virtually all of Puerto Rico spent New Year's Eve without electricity as a power outage hit the U.S. territory, but the lights are slowly coming back on for 2025.CBS News - 32m -
US investors in China venture funds brace for new tech rules
Financial institutions rush to secure assurances their money is not being used to develop Chinese technologyFinancial Times - 5h -
Trump says he thinks Johnson has the votes to get confirmed
President-elect Trump firmly believes House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will get a second term. “No one else can get the votes,” he told reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, Trump offered Johnson his ...The Hill - 6h -
Jack Victor gives back to Montreal through The Victor Foundation
Yahoo News - 7h -
Showdown over House Speaker after Trump endorses Johnson
Even though President-elect Trump has endorsed him, House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a showdown over whether he will continue in the role. A vote is scheduled in the House on Friday. NBC News' Gabe ...NBC News - 10h -
Republicans raising questions about Johnson's reelection as House speaker
Republican Rep. Chip Roy said Tuesday that he doesn’t think House Speaker Mike Johnson has the necessary votes to remain speaker in Friday's leadership election.ABC News - 11h -
House Ethics Committee closes investigations into 4 members
Politico - 1d -
Trump endorses Johnson for speaker
Politico - 1d -
Former Freedom Caucus chair on Johnson: ‘I'm going to keep my options open’
Politico - 4d -
Freedom Caucus chair: House GOP needs to consider if ‘current leadership is what we need’
Politico - 5d
More from The Hill
-
Trump says he thinks Johnson has the votes to get confirmed
President-elect Trump firmly believes House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will get a second term. “No one else can get the votes,” he told reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, Trump offered Johnson his ...The Hill - 6h -
Trump taps creator of viral garbage truck photo op for executive producer position
President-elect Trump announced that Justin Caporale would join him as the executive producer for major events and public appearances while in office. “Justin Caporale has been with me right from ...The Hill - 6h -
Biden speaks to Puerto Rico Gov, Energy Secretary about power outages
President Biden said he spoke with the governor of Puerto Rico and the energy secretary after a blackout hit nearly all of the island early Tuesday morning. During their talk, Biden offered Puerto ...The Hill - 6h -
North Carolina Gov Cooper commutes sentences of 15 death row inmates on final day in office
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Tuesday commuted the death sentences of 15 inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole, coinciding with New Year’s Eve and his final day in ...The Hill - 9h -
France's Macron acknowledges snap elections backfired
France’s President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his decision to hold parliamentary elections early caused instability in New Year's Eve comments. “Lucidity and humility force [me] to recognize ...The Hill - 10h
More in Politics
-
Trump says he thinks Johnson has the votes to get confirmed
President-elect Trump firmly believes House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will get a second term. “No one else can get the votes,” he told reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, Trump offered Johnson his ...The Hill - 6h -
Trump taps creator of viral garbage truck photo op for executive producer position
President-elect Trump announced that Justin Caporale would join him as the executive producer for major events and public appearances while in office. “Justin Caporale has been with me right from ...The Hill - 6h -
Biden speaks to Puerto Rico Gov, Energy Secretary about power outages
President Biden said he spoke with the governor of Puerto Rico and the energy secretary after a blackout hit nearly all of the island early Tuesday morning. During their talk, Biden offered Puerto ...The Hill - 6h -
North Carolina Gov Cooper commutes sentences of 15 death row inmates on final day in office
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Tuesday commuted the death sentences of 15 inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole, coinciding with New Year’s Eve and his final day in ...The Hill - 9h -
France's Macron acknowledges snap elections backfired
France’s President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his decision to hold parliamentary elections early caused instability in New Year's Eve comments. “Lucidity and humility force [me] to recognize ...The Hill - 10h