By Bo Erickson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threw his support behind House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will stand for reelection to the top job this week with a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
"Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total (EPA:TTEF) Endorsement. MAGA!!!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The House is scheduled to elect a speaker on Friday following the swearing-in of the new Congress. The endorsement from Trump is essential to Johnson's hopes of maintaining the leadership position he assumed in October 2023.
The job puts him in a close working relationship with Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20.
Thirty-four Republicans voted against Johnson’s stopgap funding bill in December, raising questions on whether some of them would support Johnson's next bid for the speakership because they argued the legislation favored Democrats.
Republicans hold a 219-215 majority in the House, meaning the vote will likely be dependent on Republicans maintaining their unity.
Representative Victoria Spartz, a Republican, said on Fox News on Monday that she remained uncommitted, saying Johnson was afraid to bring up votes on fiscal legislation that could hamper Trump's agenda.
"I can give him a chance, but I would like to hear from him how he’s going to be delivering this agenda,” Spartz said. She spoke before Trump posted his endorsement on social media.
Moderate New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler on Sunday told ABC-TV's "This Week" program: "The fact is that these folks are playing with fire, and if they think they're somehow going to get a more conservative speaker (than Johnson) they're kidding themselves."
Some lawmakers are urging the creation of a commission to examine ways to bring down escalating U.S. budget deficits and a national debt that has topped $36 trillion, by possibly trimming spending on government-run retirement and healthcare programs.
Democrats oppose reducing those programs' benefits and have called for shoring up their fiscal condition largely through higher taxes on the wealthy.
Given Republicans' narrow majority, if as few as two were to vote for someone other than Johnson, it could doom his bid to continue as speaker.
Prior to Trump's endorsement, Republican Representative Thomas Massie on Monday reiterated his intention to oppose Johnson's election. He and other right-wing Republicans have pushed for deep domestic spending cuts.
No other Republican has publicly challenged Johnson for the leadership position but lawmakers have wide latitude to cast votes for whoever they want, including citizens who are not members of the House.
The chamber went three weeks without a speaker in 2023 after a small group of Republicans voted to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
If Johnson -- or another Republican -- is unable to coalesce a majority of support, the chamber could be without a speaker in time for the official certification of Trump's victory on Jan. 6, sparking an uncertain path forward as it is difficult for the House to do business without a speaker.
Whoever ultimately does obtain the speaker's gavel likely will have to temporarily govern with even a tighter majority after Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, as he has picked two House Republicans to join his administration.