We are less than two weeks from a government shutdown and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is running into some serious problems.
Johnson has managed to wedge himself between a rock and a hard place.
Between his loyalty to Trump and the upheaval in the caucus, Johnson has all but assured himself that he will not be holding the gavel next term.
Wartime Speaker
Johnson once touted himself as a wartime speaker due to the slim majority he has in the House.
Now he really is in the trenches.
He is facing pressure from Trump to allow the government to shut down unless he includes election integrity legislation in the funding package.
The problem for Johnson is that he is also facing pressure from the caucus to dial down the spending.
In other words, he has put himself in a no-win situation.
If the government shuts down, it will be the GOP that takes the blame in the media, which could hurt the party in the upcoming election.
However, if Johnson includes the legislation Trump wants, it will not make it through the Senate or be signed by Joe Biden. But if he passes the funding bill without it, Johnson is likely to find himself on the wrong side of some Trump Truth Social posts.
So, even if Johnson can get enough Republicans on board to pass a funding bill without the voter integrity, Trump will likely push him out next term, and that is making the rather large assumption that the GOP holds the House, which is very uncertain with the numbers I am seeing right now.
All that said, I just don’t see any way that Johnson is voted in as Speaker next term if the GOP wins the House.