Mike Johnson Contends With Republican Mistrust in Dash to Pass Tax Bill

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WASHINGTON—As Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) sprints to pass the tax and spending bill in the next two weeks to fund President Trump’s priorities, some House Republicans say they don’t know if they can trust their leader’s word.

The relationship between Johnson and rank-and-file lawmakers will be crucial as Republicans look to pass extensions to expiring tax cuts as well as new breaks such as “no taxes on tips” while also pushing through cuts to Medicaid and food aid. Johnson has a razor-thin 220-213 majority in the chamber, and he will have to pass the party-line measure with no help from Democrats. He also will need to persuade House colleagues to get on board even as Senate Republicans could make major changes to the bill.

The tensions, which started in the restive conservative wing of the party last year, have now spread more broadly, according to more than 20 House Republicans who recounted episodes or experiences that have led them to be skeptical of what Johnson says. The complaints center on issues related to the current budget negotiations and past votes related to the bill, as well as other incidents involving the speaker and lawmakers.

“I’ve seen that on more than one occasion where the speaker will come in, have a conversation, and the group believes there is some sort of consensus and then finds out later that there really wasn’t,” said Rep. Eli Crane (R., Ariz.), a member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus.

“I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have such a narrow majority and the speaker is just trying to bring everyone on the same page, and not everyone is going to get everything they want,” Crane said.

Asked last week during a press conference about whether he has made assurances or promises he can’t keep in the final stretch of the budget reconciliation process, Johnson replied: “I don’t make promises I can’t keep. This is a consensus-building operation, as you know, and it’s member-driven, bottom up.”

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The House plan aims for at least $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions over a decade and allows $4 trillion in tax cuts.

The degree of frustration differs from member to member. The most critical said there is a clear-cut pattern of Johnson saying one thing and doing another. Others wondered whether he was making promises he knew he couldn’t keep or if they were a product of dealing with competing factions.

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Other members defended Johnson as a straight shooter, saying the criticism is unfair.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R., S.C.) said when Johnson “tells you something, you believe it.” And while he noted that he had heard grumblings about Johnson, Norman chalked it up to some of his colleagues equating disagreement over policy as not being on the “up and up.”

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“I trust Mike Johnson’s heart. He’s a good Christian man,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.) in a recent interview. But, he said, “I think all of us are going toward this finish line with two different preconceived expectations.”

Critics contend that Johnson sometimes tells one group of lawmakers what they want to hear, in contradiction with the message another group is getting. That has become a source of tension in the budget bill.

“Lots of assurances were made when the [budget] framework passed, and now the chickens are coming home to roost, and the people who were given those assurances don’t feel like the assurances were kept,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), one of Johnson’s loudest critics, who tried unsuccessfully to oust him as speaker last year.

“Overall, I am very disappointed in his leadership and his honesty,” said Rep. Max Miller (R., Ohio), another member who has repeatedly criticized Johnson.

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