WASHINGTON, D.C. — A relatively new congressman has officially become third in line of the presidency. Republicans have elected Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to hold the speaker’s gavel.
On Thursday, FOX 17 spoke with West Michigan Congressman Bill Huizenga about the election of Johnson, who's only been in Congress since 2016. Before that he served in the Louisiana State Legislature.
Although many are quick to criticize his lack of experience, Huizenga says that Speaker Johnson is a “breath of fresh air.”
Huizenga described Johnson as a “good, solid, conservative,” who builds relationships across the aisle. He also says that Johnson has stronger relationships with other members of the party compared to the other candidate for speaker.
"Today, as I was talking to him waiting to chat with him about our debt commission, he was chatting up a couple of other Democrats just getting to know them and them getting to know him. So I think his personality will be a good fit for the times right now," says Rep. Huizenga.
Unlike other speaker candidates, Huizenga says Johnson has stronger relationships with other members of the Republican party and hasn't made decisions that could "build grudges."
"He's just a good, solid guy, well respected and liked throughout literally every corner of the conference and has a lot of relationships across the aisle," says Huizenga
Huizenga further explains that Johnson is already discussing plans to avoid the chaos next year over funding for the government.
“August is traditionally the time when we’re not in Washington, and he said there won’t be any August recess unless we are done with all of our appropriations bills,” said Huizenga.
“That’s the kind of serious mindedness, I think, into that process of fixing what has been a broken process of the appropriations and spending decisions that have been made around here.”
Congress is facing a deadline of November 17, before the counting resolution ends and the government runs out of money. Huizenga says that they began working on appropriations bills on Thursday.
He also said that there are already conversations over creating a debt commission, something that Huizenga has long championed.
"I was excited to hear now speaker Johnson bring up in his inaugural speech, having a true bipartisan bicameral debt commission structure put in place quickly, and that's going to be a very positive thing."
