By Aaron Miller-
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a serious revolt from House Republican women. Several female lawmakers have gone on the attack against Johnson, R-La., on legislative matters and lobbing public broadsides at him — including a member of Johnson’s own leadership team.
This week alone, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., launched a discharge petition to go around Johnson and force a floor vote on a congrðessional stock trading ban, posting on X that she’s “pissed” that leadership isn’t moving fast enough on the issue while clarifying, “I like Mike.” Johnson prefers to go through regular order, and there has been an initial hearing on the issue.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the chair of House Republican Leadership, not only signed on to Luna’s petition but also publicly attacked Johnson over an unrelated issue in the national defense bill, suggesting in a series of social media posts that Johnson lied about the matter.
The spat has seemingly since been resolved, but the bad blood between the two has long been simmering.Stefanik, who is running for governor, announced Wednesday morning the provision was added back into the NDAA after talking to Johnson — a day after accusing the speaker of blocking the provision and “lying” about it. But with the language back in,
Johnson risks losing Democratic support that could be crucial for getting the historically-bipartisan package over the finish line.
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Johnson could also be on the verge of being undermined by his own members who want a vote on legislation that would ban congressional stock trading.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) officially moved Tuesday to lay the groundwork to circumvent leadership and force that vote, with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) saying he and Luna were “tired” of waiting.
Also on Tuesday: Johnson faced a small rebellion on the House floor over a procedural move involving legislation to regulate name, image and likeness compensation in college sports. That could spell trouble around a final vote coming Wednesday afternoon.
Asked about Stefanik’s broadsides in the Capitol on Wednesday, Johnson shrugged off the complaints and said he’s “not worried” about his standing “at all.”“There’s 220 or so people in this conference and lots of different opinions,” he told reporters. “Everybody’s not delighted with every decision every day, but that’s Congress.”
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York also scored a legislative victory on Wednesday after publicly insulting House Speaker Mike Johnson as a “political novice”, and claiming he did not have enough support among Republican lawmakers to remain as leader.
Stefanik, a close ally of President Donald Trump, had picked the fight with Johnson a day earlier, accusing him of lying, questioning his leadership, asserting he was not close with Trump and threatening to withhold her much-needed support on a defense spending bill
Stefanik, who is running for governor, announced Wednesday morning the provision was added back into the NDAA after talking to Johnson — a day after accusing the speaker of blocking the provision and “lying” about it. But with the language back in,
Johnson risks losing Democratic support that could be crucial for getting the historically-bipartisan package over the finish line.
AStefanik has accused Johnson of siding with Democrats and the “deep state” by allegedly blocking provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the FBI to notify federal candidates if they are under investigation.
The criticism suggests widespread discontent within the Republican conference, particularly among the right-wing flank, similar to the dynamics that led to the historic ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023.
Johnson also appears to be close to being marginalised by his own members who want a vote on legislation that would ban congressional stock trading.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) officially moved Tuesday to lay the groundwork to circumvent leadership and force that vote, with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) saying he and Luna were “tired” of waiting.
Also on Tuesday, Johnson faced a small rebellion on the House floor over a procedural move involving legislation to regulate name, image and likeness compensation in college sports. That could spell trouble around a final vote coming Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a number of high-profile Republican women are fleeing the House for other opportunities, weighing retirement or quitting Congress early, fuelling some concern that GOP women’s ranks could be depleted in the next Congress.
Taken together, it’s a sign of growing frustration among some House GOP women, who have less representation in leadership and hold only a single elected committee gavel.
Two House Republican women, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters, said that they feel they have been passed over for opportunities, that their priorities don’t always get taken as seriously under Johnson’s leadership and that they believe that could be driving some of the exits and public fights with him.
“It’s a sea change — for the worse. And it’s one of the many reasons that numerous House Republican women are running for higher office,” one of the GOP women said, accusing Johnson of “undercutting” some Republican women. “I’m concerned there will be less Republicans in Congress, period, next year, and certainly that means there will be less Republican women.”
The second woman said: “We aren’t taken seriously. You have women who are very accomplished, very successful, who have earned the merit, who aren’t given the time of the day.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — who blindsided Johnson with her recent resignation announcement, according to a GOP source familiar with the situation — has gone so far as to publicly accuse the current male GOP leaders of bias, telling The Washington Post in a recent interview she believes Republican women have been “marginalized.”
Greene and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who has also been a vocal critic of Johnson, are scheduled to meet next week to talk about their shared frustrations, according to a source familiar with the matter.
A spokesman for Johnson’s political team said in a statement that he strongly supports the women in his conference and has been working hard to recruit even more women to the House, noting that several who are on the Speaker’s Joint Fundraising Committee have received an average of nearly $400,000 for their campaigns so far this year.
“Not only has Speaker Johnson elevated women in leadership, he has also helped recruit and support women running for office,” the spokesman said.
“This cycle, we have women running in 10 of the top districts we are watching. Our team is in touch with them and others across the country — just as we were in 2024 — as Speaker Johnson works to recruit strong conservatives who can win, help us grow our majority, and help us deliver on our agenda.”
The majority of chairmanships and leadership positions are elected by the entire conference, but there are a few instances in which Johnson can make unilateral appointments or create new roles.
He appointed Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, 83, to lead the Rules Committee, making her the only female chair in the House
. He also put three Republican women on the Intelligence Committee, including Stefanik, whom he also made the chair of House Republican Leadership after her U.N. ambassadorship nomination was pulled.
Still, there are zero elected female committee chairs — and some Republicans privately blame Johnson for that. During a GOP steering committee meeting at the beginning of this year.
Johnson spoke favuorably of Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, who was running for the Foreign Affairs Committee chairmanship against Ann Wagner of Missouri. Some in the room interpreted that as Johnson’s signalling his preference, but Johnson insisted he wasn’t purposely trying to tip the scales. Mast won.
Republicans have long struggled with elevating women. A Republican woman has never served higher than as the GOP conference chair.
That position, which is fourth-ranking in the majority and third-ranking in the minority, is held by Lisa McClain of Michigan. McClain nominated Johnson for the speakership.
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