In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of House Speaker Mike Johnson, some Pennsylvania Republicans they praised the speaker, but U.S. Rep. Scott Perry had harsher words for him.
Trump announced Monday that he fully supports keeping Johnson as speaker after the Louisiana Republican faced backlash from some in his party over a bipartisan government funding deal to avert a shutdown. That support is valuable to Johnson, who has led the House with a slim Republican majority since October 2023.
Given the tight margins in the House, Johnson can afford to make a few GOP defections when Congress begins a novel session this week if he wants to keep his gavel.
Trump’s endorsement was part of the speech on the presidential election and President Joe Biden’s administration. After mentioning Beyoncé and the Rev. Al Sharpton – both surrogates for Vice President Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful campaign – and various all-caps phrases, Trump’s final sentence was: “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard-working and religious man. He will do the right thing and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my full and total support. MAGA!!!”
U.S. Rep.-elect Ryan MacKenzie (D-Pa.), the state senator who ousted U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), said in a statement to The Inquirer that Johnson “skillfully managed a compact House majority.”
“Ahead of the new session, we must focus on improving our economy, strengthening border security and ending chaos around the world,” MacKenzie said.
But U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (D-Pa.) had a tougher word for Johnson, saying on Fox Business on Monday that the “speaker showed no ingenuity” in pursuing “Trump’s agenda.” Perry said Friday that Trump will likely have the final say on who becomes speaker.
“We cannot allow a disaster like we have experienced over the last year and a half, when more Democrats than Republicans voted to pass huge bills in a Republican-led chamber,” the York County Republican said Monday.
He said he thought Johnson understood that “if he was to become speaker, things were going to have to change.”
“We have to be able to deliver on Trump’s agenda,” Perry said, adding that he has “confidence that this will work out one way or another.”
Perry did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (D-Pa.) said he supports Trump’s support of Johnson and that under Johnson’s leadership, the House of Representatives “will continue to be a bulwark against the destructive policies of the left” and “the right course for our great nation.”
“As we continue to build on the historic victory of 2024, President Trump is diligently assembling the best possible team to advance the America First agenda, and Speaker Johnson will play a critical role in doing so,” the Luzerne County legislator said in a statement. statement to The Inquirer.
Meuser called Johnson “a man of principles, integrity and tough work” and said Trump’s “confidence in him speaks volumes.”
A spokesman for U.S. Senator-elect Rob Bresnahan (D-Pa.), who defeated U.S. Sen. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), issued a forward-looking statement when asked to comment on Trump’s endorsement.
“Rob looks forward to working with Speaker Johnson in the 119th Congress to secure our border, get our economy back on track and serve the people of NEPA,” said spokeswoman Hannah Pope, referring to Bresnahan’s northeastern Pennsylvania district.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a Bucks County lawmaker and the only Republican in Congress from the Philadelphia area, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
