Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday there are no coincidences in life, acknowledging that providence played a key role in his speakership victory.
Speaking from the House after a unanimous GOP vote, the first since 2011, Johnson spoke to the chamber about his belief in God’s plan for his life and for the lives of his fellow lawmakers:
I want to tell all my colleagues here what I told the Republicans in that room last night; I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us, and I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment in this time.
This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country — and they deserve it — and to ensure that our republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.
Speaker Johnson: “I believe that scripture and the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.”
You don’t see too many politicians these days that talk about faith like this. pic.twitter.com/97MTrCMAeJ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 25, 2023
Johnson also promised to pass a bill to provide additional funds for Israel’s defense against the Hamas terror organization:
The first bill that I’m gonna bring to this floor in just a little while will be in support of our dear, dear friend Israel, and we’re overdue. And given that, we’re going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the barbarism of Hamas that we have all seen play out on our television screens is wretched and wrong. And we’re going to stand for the good in that conflict.
Wednesday’s unanimous vote was the first unanimous election since former Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) won the post in 2011. Johnson’s victory vaulted him from the vice chairmanship of the House Republican Conference to the chamber’s top position. Johnson, 51, is the 56th speaker of the House.
WATCH: Mike Johnson Receives Gavel and Is Sworn in as Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
