"Ukraine-skeptic" elected US House speaker

Republican Mike Johnson, a staunch supporter of former US President Donald Trump, has been elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. The result comes after weeks of congressional gridlock and signals a noticeable shift towards the right for his party in the lower chamber.

A total of 220 House Republicans threw their support behind Johnson during the Wednesday afternoon vote on the House floor. No Democrats endorsed his candidacy.

The House had been without a speaker since October 3, when a group of Republican rebels led by Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida ousted the former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, citing his secret deal with the White House to pass a bill sending more money to Ukraine.

Republicans, who have a slim majority in the House, have struggled to appoint McCarthy’s replacement ever since, holding up any legislative business in the chamber. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Tom Emmer of Minnesota failed to get enough votes within their conference, and for a moment, it even looked like some Republicans might help Democrats elect a minority speaker.

Johnson has drawn criticism from Ukraine supporters on both sides of the aisle for being a consistent critic of sending US money to Kiev.

“We should not be sending another $40 billion abroad when our own border is in chaos, American mothers are struggling to find baby formula, gas prices are at record highs, and American families are struggling to make ends meet, without sufficient oversight over where the money will go,” he said in May 2022, as one of the 57 House members to vote against the supplemental aid bill.

Democrats have also criticized Johnson because he opposed the certification of the 2020 election results, under which Democrat Joe Biden received the most votes ever in US history, and the exact number of electoral college votes that Trump won in 2016 – an election the Democrats have constantly criticized as “stolen” and “rigged.”

The House will now have to address Biden’s request for $104 billion in ‘emergency’ funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and immigration policy. Johnson has previously opposed such ‘omnibus’ bills.