Mike Johnson's Year Has Gotten Off to the Worst Possible Start

Faced with a shrinking majority, criticism from fellow Republicans, and ongoing funding battles, 2024 could be a tough year for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is already suffering political pressure.

Johnson, a Louisiana Representative, was appointed the 56th speaker of the House of Representatives in October 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position the same month for negotiating with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

In the months that have followed, Johnson has faced questions over his timeline for releasing footage of the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021, when Donald Trump supporters stormed the government building to protest the result of the presidential election, and backlash over his federal funding bill, which he passed in November to avoid a government shutdown with Democrat support but the revolt of 93 Republicans.

Now his majority will decrease because Ohio Representative Bill Johnson has announced he will resign from Congress on January 21 to become the new head of Youngstown State University.

"Bill submitted his official resignation from Congress today, effective at the end of day on January 21, 2024, paving the way for him to begin his presidency this month," Michael Peterson, chair of the school's board of trustees, wrote in a message to the university community.

He added: "Bill brings a commitment to advancing our institution's mission, and we eagerly anticipate the contributions he and his wife LeeAnn will make to our community."

Once he departs, the Republicans will have 219 seats in the House to the Democrats' 213, following McCarthy's resignation on December 31 and lawmakers voting to expel former Representative George Santos on December 1.

The speaker has also faced criticism from hardline Republicans over recently passed defense funding that includes a historic 5.2 percent pay rise for troops and grants data collection and surveillance powers to spy agencies.

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Mike Johnson by email for comment.

When Senate approved the bill in December 2023, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene argued that Johnson had negotiated with leading Democrat figures and that they had "shoved the FISA spy court into our defense bill."

She has also in the past criticized him over funding for Ukraine, and for relying on Democratic support to avoid the government shutdown.

He has also faced a backlash over soaring migration. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in the first 11 months of 2023, at least 2,953,676 migrants crossed either the United States' southwestern or northern borders.

On Tuesday, Trump's former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon criticized the Louisiana Republican over his position on migrants crossing the southern border, ahead of the speaker's scheduled tour of the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, today (January 3).

"Our point the last couple weeks has been very simple: We don't need any more photo ops, no more letters, we don't need any more guys down there in Eagle Pass," Bannon told Newsweek. "We know what's going on."

The Republican National Committee is also struggling to raise available cash, according to Federal Election Commission findings, which critics may also blame on the House Speaker.