House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing another potential rebellion from within the Republican party, even as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with a mandate to "make America great again" and a Republican "trifecta" to get it done.
Republicans have officially kept narrow control of the House and will take back the Senate, leaving President Trump with at least two years to pursue his legislative agenda before the next midterms.
As many know, Johnson has faced backlash in the past from within the House Republican conference over his perceived squishiness on federal spending.
Some conservatives are signaling they aren't ready to support him just yet as the GOP prepares to nominate its House and Senate leaders by secret ballot this week.
The real battle is in January, when Johnson goes up for a floor vote. The conservative holdouts expressed to Politico that they are in a wait-and-see mode, as they assess whether Johnson is prepared to "deliver" on Trump's agenda.
“There are a number of members who are still very undecided and withholding judgment,” said one GOP member anonymously.
Johnson became Speaker after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was thrown out in a historic vote last October over similar grievances about the size of government.
McCarthy had agreed to concessions that made it easier to remove him after a marathon nomination battle that took 15 rounds of voting.
While Johnson is expected to win the secret ballot on Wednesday, some House Republicans are contemplating ways to "signal their potential opposition to Johnson’s bid on the secret ballot," Politico reported.
One of those withholding support, Ralph Norman (Nc.), downplayed the group's plans to oppose Johnson.
“[The] devil is in the details,” Norman said, adding the group is not “scheming” but "discussing, we’re planning.”
Any effort to undermine Johnson could divide the party at a critical moment, with President Trump expected to have a "trifecta" to push his agenda. Any Republicans seen as imperiling Trump's agenda can expect to face a sharp response from Trump's bully pulpit.
Meanwhile, allies of Trump are lobbying for Senator Rick Scott (Fl.) in a three-way battle against John Thune (R-Sc.) and John Cornyn (R-Tx.) in the Senate leadership race. Trump has weighed in with demands of the candidates, but he has not directly endorsed anyone.
