A group of hardline Republicans has put new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on notice that he can no longer count on their support for legislation, signaling a possible early end to his “honeymoon” period. Three weeks after the Louisiana lawmaker won the gavel of the House of Representatives, 19 House Republicans – including 15 hardliners – voted to block debate on their party’s bill to fund federal programs on commerce, justice and science for fiscal 2024, which began on Oct 1.
Quick Read
- An appellate judge temporarily lifted a gag order that prevented former President Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel in his New York civil fraud trial.
- Judge David Friedman issued a stay on the gag order, raising concerns about free speech and allowing Trump to comment freely during the appeals process.
- The original gag order was imposed by trial Judge Arthur Engoron after Trump made a false social media comment about the judge’s law clerk and was later fined for violations.
- Friedman questioned Engoron’s authority to restrict Trump’s speech outside the courtroom, noting that gag orders are more common in criminal trials with juries.
- Trump’s lawyer Christopher Kise welcomed the appellate judge’s decision as a vindication of Trump’s First Amendment rights.
- Trump’s attorney Alina Habba indicated no plans to advise Trump to refrain from commenting on the clerk, citing the need for equal freedom of speech for both sides.
- Habba argued that Trump hasn’t threatened the clerk’s safety and criticized the clerk’s visibility in court and on social media.
- Friedman’s ruling applies to Trump’s lawyers and others involved in the case.
- Trump and his legal team have scrutinized the law clerk, Allison Greenfield, alleging partisanship and undue influence in the trial.
- Engoron defended Greenfield’s role, prohibited trial participants from commenting on court staffers, and fined Trump for violations.
- Trump’s lawyers, separately seeking a mistrial, argue that Engoron’s orders suppress free speech, particularly given the political nature of Trump’s speech as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
The Associated Press has the story:
Speaker Johnson’s ‘honeymoon’ ends as hardline Republicans rebel
Newslooks- WASHINGTON, (AP)
A group of hardline Republicans has put new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on notice that he can no longer count on their support for legislation, signaling a possible early end to his “honeymoon” period.
Three weeks after the Louisiana lawmaker won the gavel of the House of Representatives, 19 House Republicans – including 15 hardliners – voted to block debate on their party’s bill to fund federal programs on commerce, justice and science for fiscal 2024, which began on Oct 1.
“We want the message to be clear,” said Representative Scott Perry, chairman of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus. “We’re not going to pass bills that don’t address the problems that America faces.”
It was the second floor protest this year by Freedom Caucus members and others, who were angered by Johnson’s decision not to include spending cuts and conservative polices such as U.S.-Mexico border restrictions in his stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown on Saturday.
“The honeymoon is probably over,” said Representative Nick LaLota, one of four Republicans from New York swing districts who also opposed opening debate on Wednesday because of abortion restrictions and law enforcement spending cuts in the underlying legislation.
Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Some hardliners who opposed Johnson on Wednesday also shut down the House floor in June to protest against a 2024 spending deal between President Joe Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was forced to adjourn the chamber days early.
McCarthy was ousted by eight hardliners on Oct. 3, after averting an Oct. 1 shutdown with a stopgap bill that ran afoul of the far right but won overwhelming support from Democrats.
Johnson, who has commanded respect within the far right as an outspoken Christian conservative, irked hardliners this week with his own short-term spending bill to maintain existing government funding levels and programs into early 2024.
The bill passed the House with support from 209 Democrats but only 127 Republicans – a troubling sign for the new speaker. He had also angered hardliners by suspending House rules to circumvent their hopes of blocking debate on the measure.
The Senate passed the bill late on Wednesday.
The House has passed seven 2024 appropriations bills, all of them partisan Republican measures that are unlikely to become law.
But Republicans have been unable to agree on their remaining five spending bills.
Hardliners now want Johnson to marshal his fractious 221-213 Republican majority into agreement on spending and then fight the Democratic-led Senate for spending cuts and policy changes that would defund programs that Democrats view as priorities.
“We like him a lot. He’s a nice guy,” hardline Representative Anna Paulina Luna said of Johnson. “But we’re going to make sure that he follows through on what he said he was going to do.”
