Rep. Scott Perry said Thursday that he’s not committing to voting for Mike Johnson for speaker, adding a former Freedom Caucus chair to the conservative crowd sowing doubt over Johnson’s prospects to retake the gavel.
“I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I'm going to keep my options open,” Perry (R-Pa.) said Friday morning on Fox Business. “I want to have a conversation with Mike.”
Perry’s comments come after current HFC Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said Thursday that Republicans need to consider if current leadership “is what we need” going into unified GOP government next year, adding that he is “undecided” on who should be in House leadership come January.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the first Republican to promise that he’ll vote against Johnson for speaker, pledging to vote for someone else. But Harris, Perry and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) all publicly voicing indecision could spell trouble for Johnson.
The House will vote to elect a speaker on Jan. 3, just one week from Friday, and with Republicans’ razor-thin margin, any defections could put Johnson’s speakership in jeopardy. Republicans are expected to have a 219-215 majority on Jan. 3, and Johnson can only afford to have one Republican vote against him.
The speaker is taking heat from his conference’s right flank over his handling of the stopgap funding bill to keep the government funded until mid-March. There is specific dissatisfaction over federal spending and lack of offsets.
There is one voice that Perry says could end speculation and indecision over the speakership: President-elect Donald Trump.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we get the best person for the job under the circumstances,” Perry said. “And I'll tell you the one that might be able to make the difference is, quite honestly, President Trump. Whoever the president backs is likely to be the speaker, regardless.”
And Perry added his top priority is ensuring that Congress can deliver on the incoming Trump administration’s agenda.
“These members are signaling that they don't know that they have the confidence in Mike to be able to do that based on past performance,” said Perry.
