Speaker Mike Johnson is “losing” the conservative voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily.
Cline, who was among those who voted to table the motion to vacate the chair, explained his reasoning.
“There were only about a dozen Republicans who voted not to table the motion, and some of those actually said, ‘You know, I’m not gonna vote to get rid of Johnson. I just want to have the debate.’ I respect that,” he said, asserting that it is not time to get rid of Johnson. Rather, he believes that discussion will happen at the end of the year “when we win the majority in the House and the Senate.” At that time, Congress will truly need a leader who can advance the conservative agenda, Cline said.
U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) participates in a discussion at the Greenbrier Hotel on March 13, 2024, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images).
“I have problems with the bills that Johnson put together and helped shepherd. I think it’s a continuation of a lot of the establishment, for lack of a better term, the uniparty consensus, and I think we need to be a little bit bolder as we lean in on a lot of this stuff,” he said, explaining that there needs to be a voice for conservatives in the House. Johnson, he said, was that, but is losing that voice.
“So I think as the only Republican-led entity, by one vote,” he began to say. “We have the House. We don’t have the Senate. We don’t have the White House. There needs to be a voice for conservatives, and Johnson has been that voice. I want him to continue to be that voice, but he’s kind of losing that voice,” Cline conceded.
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Breitbart · Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) – May 10, 2024“He’s not finding it like he used to. He’s articulating something much more of a middle ground,” he said, surmising that Johnson is, perhaps, learning to deal with a one-vote majority.
“But it’s frustrating for those of us who are conservatives and would rather see a more conservative agenda put forward,” Cline added.
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