House Republicans have had a messy few months: A motion to vacate the speaker, a lack of consensus over appropriations bills, and infighting leading to physical altercations in the halls of the Capitol. While House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is the new leader in the speaker's chair, his colleagues are questioning whether he can turn things around for the Republican Party.
Within the last month and a half alone, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as speaker thanks to eight House Republicans who said the California Republican broke promises he made in January to get the gavel. Then, the Republican conference was unable to gain consensus on electing a new speaker for three weeks, with three nominated candidates — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) — eventually dropping out, ushering in a fourth contest that Johnson eventually won.
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This week, Johnson faced several challenges in his first real test of leadership. He was able to pass the two-step continuing resolution with Democrats' help, allowing the House to go into recess. However, the speaker did not adjourn the House fast enough to keep the dramatics at bay. McCarthy was accused of kidney-punching Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Rep. James Comer (R-KY) got into a verbal altercation with Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), saying the Democrat looked like a "smurf."
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), who compared Republicans’ infighting to grade school bullying, said in an interview with Politico that Johnson is doing his best with the House GOP's narrow majority, but the party is still in disarray.
"It’s the same clown car with a different driver,” Armstrong said, adding that, unless the GOP can figure out how to regain control of the House floor, “We essentially don’t have the majority.”
Several lawmakers have blamed the rising tension among members on ten straight weeks of being in session.
“I don’t think we would have gotten through week 11. I really don’t," Emmer told the news outlet on Wednesday.
However, the relief that Thanksgiving recess brings House Republicans will be short-lived. While Johnson was successful in passing the CR on Tuesday, which subsequently passed the Senate on Wednesday night, the result sets up several roadblocks for Johnson and the GOP heading into 2024.
In passing a short-term stopgap bill with Democratic support, Johnson has put a target on his back for a disagreeable House Republican Conference should the two-step CR fail to give the GOP leverage in cutting spending or forcing policy changes. Only 57% of Republicans voted in favor of the CR on Tuesday, which extends the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy and Water appropriations bills until Jan. 19 and the remaining eight bills until Feb. 2.
“People have not gotten over themselves at all. We need to get the hell out of here and just really have some separation,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) said to the D.C. newspaper, noting that more members are talking openly about possible retirement in a way he hasn’t seen before. “It’s awfully hard to see how we’re going to break this, because it’s going to take people getting over themselves and putting themselves side by side to work together.”
Seven House Republicans so far have announced that they are retiring and not seeking reelection or another office in 2024.
Tensions are likely only to rise if the Republican conference cannot agree on appropriations bills. Nineteen conservatives joined all Democrats in rejecting the advancement of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill on Wednesday. The failed vote dealt a blow to Johnson's initial plan to advance at least two appropriations bills this week, prompting the speaker to cancel votes for the rest of the week and send lawmakers home until Nov. 28.
Several hard-line conservatives are not happy with the party, expressing frustration at Johnson's methods and urging him to release a detailed plan on how he intends to slash spending instead of bringing forward individual bills that continue to fail.
“One thing. I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing. One. That I can go campaign on and say we did. One,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said in a frustrated floor speech on Wednesday.
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Other Republicans are warning their colleagues that if the GOP does not make changes soon, they will lose in 2024.
“Republicans have a choice: We can work together to get conservative victory or we can bicker, squabble, take hostages and lose,” Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said, per NPR. “Some of my colleagues, I don’t get the sense that they’ve been a part of very many successful teams."