One of the few specific requests I publicly posted for Mike Johnson as his vote to be the new Speaker was approaching was for him to commit to separating the three foreign aid requests that Joe Biden and many members of Congress had constructed to force them all together into a “must pass” bill. While I never saw him make that exact promise during the nomination process, it now appears that my wish will be granted. We haven’t seen a specific bill yet, but Johnson’s first move was to pass an endorsement of Israel and a denouncement of Hamas terrorism, which was a good sign. He will also need to get some sort of spending measures passed to keep the government open or we’ll be right back where we were without a Speaker. Hopefully, nobody will pull a fire alarm this time. Looking at you, Congressman Bowman. (Associated Press)

By Nov. 17, the Congress must fund the government again or risk a federal shutdown. President Joe Biden wants an additional $105 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine. And Republicans are eager to resume their impeachment inquiry into Biden over his son’s business dealings.

“This has been a grueling process,” Johnson said Wednesday after he took the gavel. “The challenge before us is great but the time for action is now, and I will not let you down.”

While Johnson has spoken of the importance of helping fund Israel in the fight against Hamas, he has shown little interest in providing additional money for Ukraine as it battles Russia into the brutal winter months.

Most Republicans voted against the budget deal McCarthy struck with Biden earlier this year, demanding steeper spending cuts than the levels they agreed to. Johnson will need to navigate the far-right demands with the realities of keeping the government functioning.

It’s still very early to say how this will go, but I watched Hannity’s interview with Johnson (which I’ll embed below) and I will say that I was quite impressed. He seems to keep an even keel and doesn’t blow a fuse when he’s hit with criticism. And he’s been getting a ton of it from Democrats and most of the legacy media, beginning even before he swung the gavel for the first time. He’s been called everything from the usual “mega-MAGA” label to a radical antiabortionist.

Johnson addressed all of those things and more during his first interview. He definitely was (and remains) a supporter and ally of Trump and he questioned the handling and the outcome of the 2020 election. He has always been pro-life, but he said he approved of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Roe and feels that it is now appropriate for the states to deal with the question as each sees fit. When asked if he was considering any sort of federal abortion ban, he said he was not.

We should be seeing the aid package for Israel coming along soon enough. Based on his comments, I won’t be surprised if a Ukraine aid package shows up as well. And I really won’t be all that upset if it does. I simply feel that it’s more important for each of the aid packages – even potentially one for Gaza if it can somehow be kept out the pockets of Hamas (unlikely) – have their own vote with all members going on the record as to where they stand. If a majority want all of the packages to go through, then so be it. But any future aid to Ukraine should be lashed to requirements for an audit of where all the money has gone thus far and a full accounting of the ongoing corruption issues that country is plagued with, starting at the top.

Mike Johnson is taking the Speakership at one of the most chaotic moments in the country’s history. And I don’t feel like it’s any sort of exaggeration or hyperbole to say that. We’re teetering on the brink of multiple potential foreign wars while we face a literal invasion over our southern border and rampant inflation and crime issues at home. There may not be a way for anyone in the position of Speaker of the House to meaningfully address all of those problems while Democrats still control the Senate and the White House. But we at least need someone who can manage the task of stopping the situation from degrading further. From the little we’ve seen thus far, Mike Johnson may just be the right person to face that task. Let’s pray that he is.

[Edit: Inexplicably switched to “Mike Rogers” at the end for some reason. Corrected.]

Here’s the interview I mentioned in case you missed it. Definitely worth a look.