The House of Representatives has a new speaker in Mike Johnson, R-La., and he already has a full plate.
Johnson is taking the reins from interim House Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who took up the speaker pro tempore position after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster weeks ago.
The new speaker, though, is inheriting a packed docket that includes a looming government funding deadline.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING DEADLINE
The first issue Johnson will have to wrestle with is funding the government.
There are 12 appropriations bills that need to pass through Congress and reach President Biden’s desk before a quickly approaching Nov. 17 deadline.
The government is funded until mid-November, and failure to get appropriation legislation across the finish line would lead to a government shutdown.
A continuing resolution (CR) could be a move Johnson considers to buy more time to pass the appropriations bills, but a CR was the catalyst for McCarthy’s ouster, led by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
ISRAEL
The war in Israel has been a backdrop for the House’s speaker fight, and action will be taken now that the chamber has a leader.
With Americans being taken hostage and the potential of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists entering America at the southern border, the House is under pressure to make a move.
Johnson’s first bill as speaker was a House resolution of support for Israel.
“The first bill that I’m going to bring to this floor in just a little while will be in support of our dear, dear friend Israel, and we’re overdue in getting that done,” Johnson said in his acceptance speech for the speakership.
Funding for Israel is one of the big-ticket items entering appropriation season and will likely see a fight from progressives in the House who have called for aid to be cut off.
Additionally, rising antisemitism and support for Hamas in America, especially on college campuses, will likely be an issue Johnson will have to address.
THE BORDER
The southern border continues to be a major issue affecting Americans as drugs and illegal immigrants pour into the country.
Border officials arrested 18 people on the FBI’s terror watch list in September, making fiscal year 2023 a record year for such encounters at the southern border.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics, 169 people on FBI terror watch lists were encountered between ports of entry at the southern border in the past 12 months, a number that exceeds not only fiscal year 2022’s record-setting total (98) but the last six fiscal years combined.
In addition to addressing the crisis at the southern border, Johnson will have to battle with the Biden administration on its immigration agenda.
UKRAINE AID
The war between Ukraine and Russia also rages on, with funding being a point of contention in the House GOP conference.
Some conservative Republicans are opposed to sending more money to Ukraine during the war while moderates and Democrats support more aid.
Johnson will have to balance the interests of the larger conservative wing of his party with the moderate members who could influence funding for Ukraine if they reach across the aisle to moderate Democrats amid the slim majority.
CONTROLLING THE CONFERENCE
Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks Johnson will face is controlling the House GOP conference.
The Republicans have proven to be a wild caucus in the eventful 118th Congress, ousting their own speaker and electing a new one midterm, with conflicting interests driving much of the politicking.
Moderates and conservatives in the GOP will be a juggling act for Johnson in his new role — not to mention personal agendas of members in the slim majority.