On January 3, 2025, Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was reelected as Speaker of the House, securing the gavel after a tense vote. Initially, Johnson appeared to be two votes short of the necessary 218 votes. However, a dramatic turn of events unfolded when two GOP members, Reps. Keith Self and Ralph Norman, switched their votes in his favor, ultimately putting him over the top. Despite some GOP defections, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Johnson’s victory allowed the new Congress to move forward with business, including the counting of the Electoral College votes on January 6.
In the aftermath, Self and Norman explained that they had spoken to both Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump. Trump, who endorsed Johnson earlier, emphasized the importance of party unity. Both representatives indicated that Johnson had reassured them of his commitment to advancing Trump’s agenda, bolstering confidence in his leadership.
Following the Speaker vote, the House adopted a new rules package by a vote of 215 to 209. This package introduced several changes aimed at addressing the challenges faced during the previous Congress. One significant change was raising the threshold required to initiate a vote on ousting the Speaker, from one Republican member to nine, to prevent the chaos that had plagued the GOP majority earlier.
Other provisions in the rules package included restrictions on suspending House rules to fast-track legislation, limiting such actions to Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Additionally, the package abolished the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, restored “family-centric language,” and authorized subpoenas for Attorney General Merrick Garland and other Justice Department officials related to investigations into the Biden family. The rules also renamed key committees, including the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, now called the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and changed the Office of Congressional Ethics to the Office of Congressional Conduct.