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GOP Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana has expressed hesitation about supporting House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid for re-election, calling for assurances regarding his leadership.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Spartz stated, “I understand why President Trump is endorsing Speaker Johnson as he did Speaker Ryan, which is definitely important. However, we still need to get assurances that [Speaker Johnson] won’t sell us out to the swamp.”
Spartz referenced a Politico report from 2016 about Trump endorsing then-House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain in their primary races. Trump’s decision at the time was seen as an effort to foster party unity, but Spartz suggested this approach ultimately had negative consequences for Trump.
She argued that Johnson’s leadership should ensure alignment with Trump’s vision for America, adding in another post, “President Trump will be able to save America only if we have a speaker with courage, vision and a plan — also public commitment to the American people how he will help deliver President Trump’s agenda to drain the swamp.”
Spartz Calls for Fiscal Responsibility and Leadership
In a statement issued Monday, Spartz criticized Congress for failing to provide adequate oversight of taxpayer funds and stressed the need for “courageous leadership” to guide the nation through critical challenges.
“Congress has abandoned its constitutional duty to the American people to properly oversee the spending of their hard-earned money paid as taxes. Our next speaker must show courageous leadership to get our country back on track before this ‘Titanic’ strikes an iceberg at any moment,” Spartz said.
She called for temporary policies requiring offset spending (new expenditures matched by cuts elsewhere) and spending audits.
“We must have a vision and a concrete PLAN to deliver on President Trump’s agenda for the American people, which I have not seen from our current speaker despite countless discussions and public promises,” she stated.
“The fate of our Republic is at stake and Congress, the ARTICLE 1 BRANCH, with its supreme powers of creating laws and managing our nation’s finances, must start fulfilling its CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES — not selling out our Republic at the expense of our children,” she added.
Uncertainty in Johnson’s Bid
Spartz, speaking on Fox News, suggested that if Johnson fails to commit to a plan, other Republican leaders may step up for the role. “We will have a speaker, and there are a lot of great people that will be willing to step up,” she said.
Johnson, who can only afford to lose the support of one Republican member, is facing additional challenges. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has already announced he will vote against Johnson, while others remain undecided.
Trump endorsed Johnson on Monday via Truth Social, describing him as “a good, hard-working, religious man” who “will do the right thing.”
Johnson faced criticism earlier this month for negotiating a major spending bill with Democrats that passed with more Democratic than Republican votes. While a scaled-down version eventually went through, 34 GOP lawmakers voted against it.
