The man who became speaker of the House on Wednesday after three weeks of GOP infighting has a solidly conservative voting record that includes opposing both the sweeping toxic exposure bill for veterans passed last year and the Pentagon's abortion policy.
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the speakership Wednesday with every Republican vote. He was the GOP's fourth choice for speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from the job at the beginning of October, effectively shutting down the House until a new leader was chosen.
The victory marked a rapid rise for Johnson, who joined Congress in 2017 and since 2020 has been the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, a messaging job that made him the fifth highest-ranking Republican in the House. While he has generally kept a low profile for the last six years, he was perhaps most well-known before Wednesday for playing a leading role in Republicans' efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
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On veterans issues, last year he voted against the PACT Act, considered the biggest increase of veterans benefits in a generation that expanded benefits and health care for those exposed to toxic substances during their military service. While some top Republicans ended up supporting the version of the PACT Act that became law, more staunch conservatives continued to oppose it over the estimated…
