Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson was re-elected as speaker of the House on Friday, securing the necessary 218 Republican votes on the first ballot. This victory came after initial hold-outs Keith Self, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., changed their vote ahead of the final tally. The only GOP member to vote against Johnson was Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who had publicly stated his intention not to support Johnson.

Prior to the vote, Johnson outlined his commitments as speaker for the 119th Congress. One of his pledges was to create a working group with “independent experts” to collaborate with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and House committees to implement spending reforms aimed at protecting American taxpayers. DOGE is an advisory group led by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, and some Republicans have advocated for cutting $2.5 trillion in mandatory spending over 10 years, including in programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson expressed support for examining government efficiency and reducing fraud within agriculture during the speaker vote. Following Johnson’s re-election, members of the House Freedom Caucus shared a letter outlining their expectations for his leadership, including a focus on reducing spending and the deficit in reconciliation packages. They also emphasized the need to address the subsidization of unhealthy foods in SNAP to promote healthier choices and save taxpayer dollars.

These demands could complicate the path for reconciliation and extending tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While it could cost up to $5 trillion to fully extend expiring provisions of the Act, Republicans have proposed various approaches to address these costs, including potentially changing the baseline used for budget calculations.

The Freedom Caucus’ call to cut spending in the reconciliation process may clash with proposals to extend tax cuts without offsetting costs, potentially adding to the deficit. This discrepancy highlights the challenges ahead for Congress as they navigate fiscal policy decisions in the coming months.

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