10.25.23

Rep. Takano Statement on Mike Johnson’s Election to Speaker of the House of Representatives After Four Failed Attempts, MAGA Extremist Handed Gavel

Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement following the election of Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“After three weeks of complete chaos and inaction that ground Congress to a halt, the House Republican Conference has allowed their extreme MAGA members to set the agenda and hand select Mike Johnson as the next Speaker of the House. Mike Johnson is a proud and fervent election denier, a friend of the extreme religious right, and a climate change denier. He has voted twice against the PACT Act to deny toxin-exposed veterans of the healthcare they have earned. He has fiercely advocated against the civil liberties of LGBTQ+ people.

“Mike Johnson has weaponized his committee position to target transgender individuals and introduce legislation to suppress sharing LGBTQ+ identities. He is staunchly anti-choice and would like to impose a nationwide ban on reproductive choice. He will no doubt remain committed to those divisive values and bring untold harm to the American people now that he has been elevated to Speaker.

“Befitting a party that treats expertise with disdain and considers extremism a virtue, Mike Johnson will take up the Speaker’s gavel having never led a House Committee or served in a senior leadership position. He comes to the job with no understanding of its purpose and no respect for its importance. Rather than using the position he has been given to unify, Mike Johnson will use his power to divide our people and diminish our nation.

“I will continue to fight for the dignity of all Americans even if we have a Speaker with a history of espousing hateful rhetoric. The challenges facing our country are too real and the needs of the American people are too great to do otherwise.”