Congressman Morgan McGarvey’s Statement on Mike Johnson Becoming Speaker of the House

EDITOR'S NOTE: Johnson is one of the most anti-labor members of the House. Through 2022, he had voted the union position on key issues important to labor just 10 percent of time he has been in office, according to the AFL-CIO. McGarvey is one of the most pro-labor House members. He was elected in 2022 and wasn't sworn in until 2023. But McGarvey was unanimously endorsed by the Kentucky State AFL-CIO.

See also The Washington Post: Opinions | As House speaker, Mike Johnson is as dangerous as Jim Jordan by columnist Jennifer Rubin.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 25, 2023) – Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) released the following statement after Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives:

“We finally have a Speaker so we can get back to work. It is frustrating and embarrassing it took House Republicans more than three weeks and four speaker votes to overcome their own civil war and install Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House” said Rep. McGarvey. “And for what? To reach any consensus, traditional Republicans still had to bow to the most extreme wing of their Party and select a far-right Republican who reflects their unpopular and extremist views. Speaker Johnson played a key role in trying to invalidate the 2020 election results, supports a national abortion ban, and has introduced a federal ‘don’t say gay’ bill to further isolate vulnerable LGBTQ youth. It’s unconscionable that House Republicans essentially halted all legislative business for nearly a month and ignored the bipartisan path forward offered by House Democrats so they could settle internal scores and weaken the institution. However, I’m at least relieved we can resume our work to keep the government open and send critical aid to our international allies. Regardless of which party is in power, Democrats remain united and will continue our work for the American people.”

Congressman Morgan McGarvey represents Kentucky’s Third Congressional District, including Louisville and Jefferson County. He serves on the House Veterans Affairs and House Small Business Committees.