Johnson is learning on the job and drawing the ire of the Republican Right

Speaker Mike Johnson struggled to defend himself during a recent private party meeting on Capitol Hill, as some Republicans in the House of Representatives confronted their new leader, demanding any evidence that he was leading them in a new direction or taking punches on their behalf.

“Just Google my name and you’ll see,” was Mr Johnson’s response. He has been besieged by unflattering media coverage since winning the gavel (much of it focused on his evangelical Christianity and hardline positions against abortion rights and gay marriage), the Louisiana Republican told his colleagues. He had even been mocked on “Saturday Night Live,” he noted, by not one but two different comedians.

Mr Johnson, a fairly anonymous lawmaker before his election last month, has struggled to adapt to the new level of scrutiny brought on by his sudden ascension to the post second only to the presidency. Some Republicans thought his response to the meeting reflected his steep learning curve as he settles into the job.

A soft-spoken Christian conservative who does not swear and rarely raises his voice, Mr. Johnson has pleaded for “mercy” from his fellow Republicans as he takes some of the same steps that led them to oust his predecessor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of the Republican party, to depose. California.

Far-right conservatives were outraged by his decision last week to join Democrats in pushing through legislation to prevent a government shutdown, which meant the cuts and policy changes they demanded were left behind. A group of them protested this move by preventing a separate spending bill from being considered the next day, even as Mr Johnson begged them to give him a break and stick to the rules.

“Speaker Johnson was in the House of Representatives today and quite frankly begged for forgiveness from some of us in the Freedom Caucus who were giving him a lot of grief, trying to fight him and push him in the right direction on this spending. bill,” Rep. Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, told voters during a recent virtual town hall meeting.

“I love Mike,” Mr. Roy said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by The New York Times. “I told him today in the House of Representatives, ‘Mike, this is strike one. It could even be strike two. You will not receive a hall pass for this. I’m not going to hold you any differently than Kevin McCarthy or anyone else. ”

“He has been notified,” he added. ‘You have to do your job now. Let us fight now.”

Mr. Johnson’s allies admit he is learning as he goes, but they argue he is leading the House in a much more functional way than his predecessor — and even showing courage in doing so.

“He has a spine of steel,” Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority leader who had a toxic relationship with Mr. McCarthy but has quickly built a close bond with his successor, said in an interview.

“Mike’s style is very different,” Mr. Scalise said of the change at the top. “He seeks input, and when he makes a decision, he sticks to it. He’s willing to put in the effort and take the heat and then go out and sell it.

Taylor Haulsee, a spokesman for Mr. Johnson, said the speaker was “committed to building consensus by strengthening the Republican leadership team and seeking counsel from members across the conference.”

Mr. Johnson, who has spent decades defending his hardline positions on social issues in op-eds and public speeches, has left plenty to dig through to demonstrate the profound influence his religious beliefs have on his policy positions and his political worldview.

Since winning the gavel, his openness about how he practices his faith has also attracted a lot of attention, leading to the Google hits he referenced behind closed doors with his colleagues.

In a recently surfaced video clip that was spotted late night televisionFor example, Mr. Johnson explained how he and his eldest son worked together relied on a third-party service to encourage them not to view pornography online. The company Covenant Eyes says it is helping customers fight against “the appeal of pornographic content online”, monitors a user’s browsing and alerts the designated ‘accountability partner’ (Mr. Johnson is his son Jack, and vice versa) if he/she views prohibited content. It is a common practice among evangelical Christians, who often work together to support each other’s spiritual development, including avoiding sexual temptation.

On Capitol Hill, Mr. Johnson has not tried to hide or apologize for his evangelical views. During his first meetings as a speaker, he began with a prayer asking God for cooler heads and unity to prevail; Since then he has conducted some meetings without doing so.

It’s a stark stylistic change from Mr. McCarthy, whose references were based more on pop culture than Scripture. For example, when the California Republican wanted to make clear that he would not hold a grudge against lawmakers who had tried to keep him from the speakership, Mr. McCarthy quoted from “Ted Lasso,” in which he told members that the happiest animal in the world is the goldfish , who was blessed with a 10-second memory.

On Capitol Hill, Mr. Johnson is also developing a reputation for a more collaborative approach than that of his predecessor. Unlike Mr. McCarthy, who did not solicit feedback from his top lieutenants and shot down ideas so routinely that they eventually stopped even raising them, Mr. Johnson regularly seeks input from Mr. Scalise, as well as from Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the majority whip, and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the party’s No. 4 candidate.

But far-right Republicans and their allies outside government are concerned that Mr. Johnson is leaning toward the same pragmatism and establishment tendencies that drove Mr. McCarthy and his predecessors to the job, despite describing himself as an “arch-conservative.” and made promises. his allegiance to former President Donald J. Trump.

Mr Johnson has told colleagues he wants to meet regularly with the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus to keep them informed of his strategy, even if they disagree. For now, that’s exactly where many of them find themselves. At a recent meeting, described by several people familiar with the exchange, Mr. Johnson tried to defend his legislation to prevent a government shutdown, which they strongly opposed, by claiming it would ultimately help them achieve their goals.

“I’m doing this for your own good,” he told the group, which had pushed for deep cuts that were not included in the bill.

Many Republicans are concerned that Mr. Johnson’s lack of experience is also leading him to make politically questionable choices.

His first substantive legislative decision was to tie $14 billion in aid to Israel to cuts to Internal Revenue Service enforcement, a highly partisan move aimed at appeasing his far-right flank. But Mr Johnson ultimately got nothing in return for that move. In the end, the measure predictably fell flat in the Senate, with the right wing still revolting against the spending.

At the same time, Mr. Johnson has tried to convince more mainstream Republicans from competitive districts that he is more pragmatic than dogmatic, recognizing that he no longer represents just a deep-red district in a heavily Christian state. Although he is opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine, he has told Republicans that he is now prepared to introduce a bill to do so — but that he wants to use it to win concessions from Democrats on border policy to enforce.

For angering his right flank, Mr. Johnson has won early praise from Democrats. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and majority leader, praised Mr. Johnson in a statement for embracing a bipartisan measure to keep government funding flowing. “If he continues to do that, I think we can get a lot done and help a lot of people,” Schumer said.

While there may be frustration with the right’s Mr. Johnson at this point, most Republicans don’t think there is any willingness to oust another speaker before the 2024 election.

“He started out in a very difficult situation,” Mr. Scalise said. “I can see every week that he definitely understands the job better.”

Ruth Graham reporting contributed.