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What You Need To Know About Speaker Mike Johnson
Exactly one week ago, Mike Johnson was elected to serve as the 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Prior to coming to Washington D.C., Johnson worked as a constitutional lawyer, and then later ran largely unopposed for his Louisiana seat in the House of Representatives. When he took office as Speaker, he had served in Congress for 6 years and 10 months, the shortest tenure of any House Speaker in the last 140 years. His limited time within the House means that many of his opinions are largely unknown (especially when it comes to business rights and the economy) but the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce, and the US Chamber of Commerce did some research and here is what we were able to find out.
Minimum Wage: In 2019, Johnson opposed the Raise the Wage Act, which would have raised the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. He labeled the bill as "job crushing legislation". In 2021, he opposed the bill again.
Taxes: Speaker Johnson now has to face issue of the year-end bipartisan tax deal. In the past, he has opposed tax increases and has pushed to make tax cuts permanent. He has rarely been involved with tax issues in the past.
National Debt: In 2018 Johnson said that interest on the debt should have happened yesterday because they are a threat to the American experiment.
Unions: According to the AFL-CIO's vote tracker, Johnson has opposed union policy positions about 90% of the time. He opposed measures like the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, along with a resolution supporting an expansion of sick leave for railroad workers.
Corporate Monopolies: Johnson was on the House's Judiciary Committee, which oversees federal antitrust enforcement. In 2021 he opposed bills that would have boosted antitrust enforcement in the tech sector.
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