roy, another member i mentioned and victoria sparks, a wild card for the leadership team the past few years. there is growing confidence in mike johnson's orbit that he will land this plane if not on the first ballot, maybe the second or third. but again there is zero room for error here. >> that's right. it's it could get dicey. thank you so much for being here with us. that's it for us today. i will be back monday at ten eastern. andrea mitchell is in the seat and picks up our coverage right now. ♪♪ good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. a big day on capitol hill. just blocks from here at the u.s. capitol the 119th congress is getting underway. in the senate it will be business as usual. vice president harris president of the senate will swear in 32 new and re-elected senators.

the republicans are now in the majority. that's the big change. that means they get to chair all the committees that control what gets to the floor for votes. the real drama of course on the other side of the capitol as mike johnson faces a potentially contentious fight to hold on to the speaker's gavel. johnson this morning. >> this election is not just about one person. it's about moving forward about the american first agenda. the mandate was given by the american people. they are expecting us to get to work. we don't have time for drama. >> two years ago kevin mccarthy did not get a majority for four days. and 15 roll calls. to win the edge, he was ousted ten months later. the next half hour, each party will be presenting their choices. johnson for the republicans, hakeem jefferies for the democrats. there will be nominating speeches. why is this important? congress can't take any action until they choose a speaker. there is a a lot that needs to get done.

look at the calendar. this coming monday is january 6th. that's the constitutionally mandated date to certify the presidential election. if there is not a confirmed speaker we could face a constitutional crisis. president-elect trump is putting his full support behind mike johnson for another term as speaker. a little belatedly, but full support now. no republican has challenged johnson. with one of the slimmest majorities in house history, he can afford only one defection within his party. that's all. if all members are in attendance. and republicans, republican tom massie of kentucky, is opposed to johnson gaining the speaker's gavel again. several members of the freedom caucus are not as definitive as massie, but are still not committing their support yet. we begin with nbc news senior capitol hill correspondent, garrett haake, correspondent karl hulls, political analyst and former press conference to

paul ryan brendan buck and former michigan congressman republican fred upton and former pennsylvania congresswoman democrat susan loyal. garrett, two years ago four days, 15 rounds of voting. what do we expect this hour? the speaker has been busy, corralling votes. maybe making some trades. things are being promised. arms are being twist. what's going on? >> reporter: yeah, andrea, the speaker has been holed up in his office since yesterday at that time meeting with some of these members who are hold-outs. he tells reporters he made no promises. >> we will now hear -- >> reporter: as they get underway on the floor. to get the votes that will be necessary to get across the finish line, i can tell you the vibes around speaker johnson are good. he and his allies have been predicting he will be elected speaker again today. possibly as quickly as on this first ballot. but none of them can say for sure because the margins are so

thin. you talked about thomas massie, the kentucky republican who made it abundantly clear he is a hard no against johnson. that leaves literally no margin for error. if every democrat votes for hakeem jefferies as expected, there can be no votes for anyone not named mike johnson from the republican side of the aisle or johnson doesn't get there. at least he doesn't get there on the first ballot. johnson deployed allies on the hill, off the hill, gotten an endorsement from president-elect trump and elon musk. johnson said trump has been making calls on his behalf. as the members almost entily headed to the floor, there is nothing left to do but to stand up and have their votes counted. i think perhaps the best thing johnson has going for him is the appearance of his back side, the idea that there is a lot of work to get done for the republican congress and for the republican trifecta here in washington. none of that work, none can happen in earnest until they elect a house speaker. >> so, karl, johnson believes he

is going to win on the first ballot. what do you hear from members? because we haven't heard that much opposition, but there is contentious -- there is argument over the fact that he wept along with the budget plan last week. >> i don't want to disagree with speaker johnson, but this election is about one person and he is that person. there is some unhappiness with what he did. you know, i am hearing a lot from people. they do expect him to eventually be elected speaker mainly because there is no one else trying to be speaker. that's a great advantage for him. i am also hearing maybe some people want to send a message to him, not give it to him on the first ballot. brendan might be hearing something similar or different. i think it's also, there is a lot of attention seekers in the republican -- >> you think? >> and this is a great attention-getting moment. >> matt gaetz isn't there anymore.

>> do we know that for sure? but, i mean, i think he should be able to pull it out, but it's -- we have to watch this. this is a rare moment we don't exactly know what's going to happen and we have to watch. >> first they have to make sure everyone is there to vote. so they have a quorum. that takes about 15 minutes. you have been through this so many times with john boehner. you know, with previous speakers and you have watched it all. how is this different? is donald trump the "x" factor here? >> he is helpful for mike johnson. his support i think is certainly necessary, but not sufficient. mike johnson would have no chance if it were not for donald trump sort of leaping in on him because i think they understand this is very disruptive to what end are we having this fight. obviously, he needs his confirmation, certification of the election in a few days. i will say kevin mccarthy also

had a relatively good vibe going into his election. we thought he might have trouble on the first vote. we thought maybe he would lose a handful of members, might take multiple ballots. he lost 19 or 20. >> wasn't there personal animas to him, which isn't the case so much with johnson? >> certainly. there was some -- but it was a surprising number at that moment. the wild card i am looking out for, kevin mccarthy lost four or five freshmen members. we have a number of the freedom caucus members we are keeping an eye on. are there freshmen members who want to get attention early on? there is a good chance he won't have the votes on the first ballot. big thing i am looking for, how big is that pool of people he has to work over? how many people does he have to make promises to? four or five? those people are isolated and i think donald trump could lean on them and the rest of the conference could lean on them.

what made kevin mccarthy have so much trouble, that was a big number, a lot of strength in numbers. safety in numbers for those people, they could stick together. they weren't by themselves. if he has four or five, i think this could end maybe today. if this is double digits, we could be still talking about this tomorrow. >> and ali just caught up with mike johnson. as of noon, he is no longer speaker, mike johnson. he is just a member of congress until he is elected, if he is elected. let's listen to what mike johnson had to say. >> clear path. >> i think we're there. we will find out very soon. >> reporter: have you made deals or negotiations -- >> i have made no deals with anyone. i am proud to say that. >> so, karl, he's working it over. what kind of things could he be offering? positions on the intel

committee? chairman ships? >> there is all sorts of winks and nods you can offer. mainly what people seem to want is assurance they will have serious discussions about spending cuts. this is actually what got kevin mccarthy in trouble in some ways, was he made deals and then people thought he went back on the deals. i think that mainly they are seeking assurances that they are going to be serious about budget cuts. but that's all smoke and mirrors at this point. he is saying he is not making deals. you know, he is telling people something. and i think the trump approval is really interesting here because donald trump lost three dozen republicans in the house on a big vote on the debt limit a few weeks ago. i don't think donald trump can -- he doesn't want to have another second big vote where he is kind of pushed back by the house republicans. so i think he is probably going to put, as brendan said, a lot of pressure. >> he doesn't want a contentious

rebellion here because january 6th is looming around the corner. it's monday. fred upton, let's talk about from your experience as a former member, there is a real divide now between those who are more conscious about spending and spending cuts and those who, you know, want to do these -- vote for these programs, and that's what happened with the continuing resolution. that's where mike johnson got into some trouble with donald trump as well as -- >> well, frustration -- yeah, there has been a real frustration the last couple of years that the regular appropriation process has really broken down. you know, 12 different bills, agriculture, farm aid, defense, et cetera. the house didn't stake a lot of them up. they took up some. the senate didn't take any to the senate floor. as a consequence, you ended up with this massive continuing resolution year after year after year. you know, when i was first

elected, we would take up the -- as an example, take up to labor hhs appropriations spending bill, subpoenaed a week on it, on the house floor. any member could offer a j soccer main amendment. if you added spending, you had to have an amendment to reduce spending by the same amount. that doesn't happen anymore and that's a real frustration. appropriators are able to do their bills, but at the end of the day you don't have any bipartisan agreement on the house floor. the senate doesn't take the bills up on the senate floor and you got gridlock. so it's got to be a real change there. now, past speakers, kevin mccarthy, mike johnson last year, they all said, we are going to bring these up one at a time. it didn't happen. frankly, we didn't have the sometimes to get out of the rules committee to consider it the house floor. that's one of the things that we

will be looking to see, i hope -- i hope a positive change in the 119th congress. i think there are a good number of republicans, both from the freedom caucus as well as the problem solvers caucus and others, moderate groups saying, let's get back to where things ought to be. but let's face it. we have a real problem on spending. $36 trillion national debt. where are we? that's why the new president-elect, 47, trump, reached out to musk and ramaswamy to try and really see if they can't get some spending under control, which means long-term spending. you will be talking ensometimes, two-thirds of the budget, medicare, medicaid. interest payments on debt is almost equal to what defense spend is spending is these days. huge issues to be dealt with. what we are seeing today, i

mean, this will be maybe a one-vote margin for speaker when this thing is completed if mike johnson is elected, i think he will be, but you have all these other issues now that are coming. the debt ceiling. appropriation bills. obviously, immigration reform, which so many of us want to see resolved. but that margin that mike johnson has today is either going to be slimmer in the couple months ahead because three house members have been selected by the trump administration to serve in their administration. and so unlike the senate, where you have immediate replacement by the governor, you have a senator that is gone, for the house it means a special election. it means days to collect ballots, the signatures, petitions, to get out of the ballot. you have a primary election. you have got a general election. it takes usually three, four, even five months to replace a

single house member, and so mike johnson is going to be three votes even shorter, so that margin, which today is at 219, will be at 216, and the democrats are at 215. so, you know, one -- [ laughter ] somebody not making a traffic light to get there to vote, someone getting covid or sick or a funeral in the family, i mean, a death like with jackie, my good friend and neighboring colleague a couple of years was killed in an auto accident during the august recess. you are going to have a lot of these close, tight votes that you all in the press are going to be watching to see how much control the new president as well as what i expect will be mike johnson, the speaker, will have to try to drive the bus to actually get things done. >> and to get things done they need democrats, that will, of course, anger the freedom caucus

and critics on the republican side. susan wild, democrats are expected today to unanimously support jeffries. is the party going to sit back and watch the republican infighting? they did last time. there wasn't a single vote against hakeem jefferies. >> i don't know whether every single democrat will vote for hakeem jefferies. i think they will. they will not be voting for mike johnson. and i think that it's highly unlikely that johnson gets this on a first vote. for one thing, as people have already point out, tom massie is absolutely a no, and i fully expect he will stick to that. i disagree with him on a lot of things, but he is a man of principle and says what he means and i don't think he will yield. i don't expect any freshmen republicans to vote against mike johnson simply because it's a lot different than it was when kevin mccarthy's speaker fight

occurred. right now president trump is pulling all of the strings, and i don't think there are any newly elected republicans in that conference who want to have donald trump's attention shining on them because they didn't vote for his choice of speaker. i mean, having said that, i know it's been reported that trump's allies are starting to be concerned and looking about for who might be an alternate speaker, and that could very well -- and if the tide changes, it will change because somebody in trump world says that there is somebody else that's acceptable to them. one thing that i think you really need to think about is today's first vote at least is not going to be about policy. people who vote against it the speaker will tell you that it's because of one policy or another, as fred upton just mentioned. but i will say there is a craving for drama in that place.

i'm watching the house floor on your monitor here, and it's very reminiscent and, you know, people -- people like drama. some in particular and some of the names who have been mentioned as hold-outs or undecided are people who very much love to be the center of attention. and there is nothing that gets you the center of attention on opening day of a new session than voting against the chosen speaker from your own party. so, i think that drama will be the order of the day for at least the first and second vote. i think things may get serious then, and we may see some coalition. i know that it was reported earlier that some of the hold-outs had come around. you never really know until they cast their vote. i mean, one person who comes to mind, you know, sparks' name, victoria sparks. i think -- i don't think there is any question she will at least eventually vote for mike

johnson. talk about liking drama and liking to be the center of attention, she is craving that. but ultimately she will be convinced. but chip roy, what will he will. scott perry, i think some will hold out and really want 30 to point to something that they got in exchange for a yes vote for mike johnson. >> and susan, while we have been talking, we have been watching a split-screen with the house floor. it is a little bit like the first day of back at school or camp. families are allowed to come. you see children, grandchildren, mike johnson taking pictures with a baby, which is what politicians do, what anyone does when you see a cute baby. there is marjorie taylor greene. i mean, people are milling around. jim jordan. people are very aggressive, you know, advocates for their positions, but there is also the -- it's a new year. they are coming back from a long

break and they are allowed to have their families and kids. >> absolutely. late me just say that you mentioned the people who are on the floor other than the members. until the speaker is elected and the rules package is passed, there are no rules that exist right now. >> that's such a good point, congresswoman. >> which is why -- and, look, decorum on the house floor is not what it used to be by any means. a lot of people, even if the rules were in place, break them these days. but i will say that things that you saw in the kevin mccarthy speaker battle, including almost coming to, you know, a fistfight and just really bad behavior by a lot of people, a lot of that has to do with the fact that there are no rules. people are, by the way, even members are allowed to take children under the age of 12 on the house floor anytime for votes. but you are not permitted to take your spouse, your older

children, your friends. but you will see -- and especially if this goes on for a prolonged amount of time like kevin mccarthy's it did, you will see over the course of hours or days a change up of who is on the house floor, who they bring, i mean, somebody might bring their dog on the house floor. there are no rules right now. so that makes it a little bit of the wild, wild west, and makes it -- and it also feeds into this sense of drama that a lot of people are not -- i don't want to say a lot of people. that some people will have during this election. >> and to garrett haake, who has watched all of this, is watching up close from up there, garrett, the dynamic is kind of a free for all as they go through this quorum call. we don't know what's happening behind the scenes. we will probably find out more about that later where deals have been cut.

but that's certainly part of this. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. and it's difficult to find out in real time what kind of handshake agreements might have or have not been made. i remember the last time we did this two years ago with kevin mccarthy he was very tedious process after the fact to figure out what he agreed to, what was in the rules package, which is one of the first votes that happens after the speaker is elected and what other side agreements were made about putting members on the rules committee, for example, or the most notable, the change in the motion to vacate, how easy it would be to do get red of a speaker. there is a standing deal struck two of the folks you see on the screen now, the tall jenna in the center, dusty johnson, the outgoing chair. republican main street caucus made a deal with the freedom caucus to say this is not tenable in the new congress. the goal is to trump that number back up to nine members who would have to band together to get rid of a speaker. all of them coming from the majority party. so a lot of that discussion, and i think this might be part of

the reason that johnson's road today could, emphasize could, be smoother than mccarthy's, the mccarthy experience meant a lot of this discussion was happening last fall knowing that margins were likely to be tight, dynamics likely to be similar with the attention seeking that was being described. had to plug these holes before they became a problem on the house floor. that dynamic about family members and little kids is part of this, too. you remember the images during the mccarthy episode of kids sleeping in their parents' laps on the floor. a lot of angry spouses here who came to town for swearing-in parties and a weekend of celebration and their wife or husband had been elected to congress. that dashed by this ugly speakership fight. another thing that this new republican majority is trying desperately to avoid to look like the republican party which will be in unified control of washington is in control of something over this next hour.

>> well, what's so extraordinary is that we're talking about a one or two vote margin no matter what happens, and that there is going to have to be, you know, votes that -- tough votes like the debt ceiling that require going to the democrats and going to the democrats can be a death sentence for any -- political death sentence for a speaker, republican speaker of the house going forward, even if he gets by today. we are going to take a quick break. we will be back in a moment. as we continue to watch what's happening on the house floor with the election of a speaker. carl: what's up, carl nation! it's your #1 broker with the best full-service wealth management skills in the biz. tech asst: actually i'm seeing something from schwab. (uh-oh) producer : yeah, schwab lets you invest and trade on your own. and if you want they can even manage it for you. not to mention, schwab has a team of specialists for taxes, insurance, and estate planning. both producers: all with low fees. carl: we're experiencing technical difficulties... uh, carl...

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welcome back. we are watching the drama on the house floor. sort of the build-up to roll call votes which follow. they are taking a quorum call still, that's about a 15, 20-minute process to make sure everyone is there, and while they do that, as you can see, there are children on the floor. one of the things, karl from "the new york times" is with me, chief washington correspondent, karl, you have been covering the hill so many years. one of the interesting things about today, because there are no rules, because they don't have a speaker yet, they don't have a rules committee, they don't have rules adopted, anybody can go on the floor, the children, anyone else, but also permitted cameras. >> right. special rule. >> several decades c-span

cameras in a fixed position, which will show you a wide shot and whoever is speaking b but not everything going on around it. there are cameras permitted to shoot all kinds of angles. that's how we saw the almost fisticuffs on the kevin mccarthy roll call, the 15 roll calls. that's why you are seeing these very interesting pictures. i wish we could see this all the time. >> i have to stay for the media. we wish this happens all the time. they are letting still photographers, the college admissions are down there and you get an up close view. i don't think the members necessarily want this all the time because it would show probably a little -- >> they want the pictures for their constituents, for their campaign videos and families. >> it would probably show a little too much if they were down there all the time. it's much better than the fixed positions. the whole c-span use of cameras goes back to newt gingrich. he would give speeches on the

house floor at night and from the fixed position it would look like he is giving a big speech to the full house, attacking the democrats. then they started panning back to show that it was actually empty. so the c-span cameras can be manipulated by the leadership. >> the house went first with c-span. ronald reagan liked watch the debates, he said, while he was shaving in the morning. >> right. >> but the senate did not go right away. there was a big debate in the senate. we used to, as correspondents, go into the balcony with courtroom artists who would do sketches of the senator. >> bob bird did not want to do it until the senators realize the house was becoming much more important because that's what everybody was watching on c-span. so they changed the rules. >> they are not actually c-span cameras. they are house cranberries. it's like state media. c pandemic is the one that picks

it up all day. the reason members don't want to change it, one, yes, don't catch whatever conversation they are having with democrats or whatever, but a sense that the house floor, sadly, one of the last safe spaces for people to have conversations. and not be politicized. that sounds strange to hear, but members don't travel together. they don't live in the same city anymore like they used to. and so something that we always heard from members when i was in the speaker's office is that is one place you can sit down, have a conversation with somebody from the other party and not be a big deal. you could develop friendships like that. maybe that's not a good reason to not be able to see what's on the floor. it's an interesting statement, there are so few places they are able to actually interact vnd a have casual moment with each other that they don't want cameras in their face all the time. >> the speaker's lobby, one of my favorite places, that's where reporters can go in. they are nosy, say that

affectionately, like reporters there. let's talk about the need to certify donald trump's election on tuesday, monday, rather, january 6th. garrett haake, talk to me about the importance of what monday represents constitutionally and, of course, we remember witnessing what happened, you know, four years ago when the election was being challenged and it's a very -- it's expected to be a very different situation, but it is a very important national security, you know, everybody is prepared in case something were to happen on january 6th. >> reporter: that's right. the fact that the certification of the electoral votes falls on january 6th again is just a quirk of the calendar. but here we are. coming up on monday for the vote counting process, you will have a joint session of congress convened here on monday to go through the electoral votes. you will have another historical

irony with kamala harris overseeing essentially the finality of the election of the person who defeated her in the election of donald trump. that's only if there is a house speaker to preside. this is the backstop that johnson has going for him, that by monday they need to have this settled so thaek go ahead with the constitutionally mandated parts of this process to install donald trump at his inauguration on the 20th. so, you know, this is something that works in johnson's favor a little bit. he has been making that case publicly and privately to members. they don't want to step on this big moment. as for the differences, i can't begin to describe how many there are. the security posture around the hill has been ramped up substantially. the no climb fencing rings this whole complex. while it's still relatively easy to go in and out today, that won't be the case come monday. you have to completely revamped u.s. capitol police with a new chief and a new protective mission, a new focus on intelligence gathering.

i think there is an understanding by law enforcement not just the capitol police, but the alphabet soup of federal agencies who oversee washington, d.c., and keep an eye on the capitol that there can be no mistakes and can be no slip-ups on this january 6th. in fact, we saw last night additional release of information about the person who planted the pipe bombs on the last january 6th still has not been caught or even identified. so there is that kind of spector of security concerns hanging around this coming certification of the electoral votes as there is the spector of for house republicans we better not screw this up for the incoming president without whose coattails many probably wouldn't be here. >> and peter baker is joining us, chief white house correspondent with "the new york times." peter, there is something else happening this week after january 6th. assuming that there is a speaker and that the election is certified, as is

constitutionally required, there is a state funeral in washington after the events in -- in atlanta this weekend. jimmy carter will be coming on tuesday afternoon, tuesday evening, and lying in repost e l day wednesday, a function that only happens if there is a speaker and a new congress. peter? >> yeah, it's coming at quite an extraordinary time, right? normally, the death of a president is moment in our political life that we put down the weapons and partisanship for a brief moment to pause and reflect on a life of somebody who served as commander-in-chief. the last three presidents in fact who died all died in the holiday season, gerald ford in 2006, george h.w. bush in 2018 after hotly contested elections. the ceasefire didn't last long. i am not sure this will either. we are heading -- this comes in between the certification of

donald trump's victory and presumably the election of a speaker and then the inauguration on january 20th. but it is a moment where the nation i think reflects on how things havehave since the president served in the 1970s. >> and in fact, peter, you have been writing such wonderful perspective that you have from covering the white house so many years on how things have changed. we understand from donald trump, i think he said this on new year's eve to the assembled press, he will be attending the funeral, and we know that dignitaries will come from all over the world. former prime ministers and others are coming because jimmy carter in the 43 years after his presidency as well as of course camp david and the panama canal treaty and other things he is while in office. in the years afterwards he circled the globe and was an important part of certifying elections, monitoring elections,

curing diseases in africa, you know, river blindness, bringing so much perspective to human rights around the world. let's just listen in for a moment because the quorum at least is present so they can proceed with what is going to happen. soon we will be hearing the nominating speeches. peter, if you want to speak with carter and what he represented and how things have changed since he was president. >> well, he represented, you know, force for good on the international stage for the united states, informal unofficial role. he didn't always comport with the policy of the sitting president in washington, d.c., democrat or republican, both of both parties found him at times to be irritating because he would criticize them or take a different position than they would important international affairs. i think you're right. the commitment to democracy, the commitment to fighting disease,

the commitment to conflict resolution, you know, earned him a great deal of respect and admiration around the world and in the united states. he won the nobel peace prize not when he was president. in 2002 after years of showing what a former president can do, he once said, i think, he thought he could get some things done as a former president more easily than as a sitting president. he could speak miss mind. again, not always popular, but it was a matter of principle, everybody respected that even if they didn't agree with him. >> one of those examples when he went to north korea and negotiated a deal with kim jong-un's father much to the distress of bill clinton, who was the president. he announced it on cable news before even telling the president. right now lisa mcclain is going

to nominate speaker johnson. mike johnson. let's listen. >> for the 119th congress. the name of the honorable mike johnson, a representative from the state of louisiana. of [ cheers and applause ] >> we now know there are 217 present, so he can lose two, not just one. he doesn't need 218. >> the american people gave us a great opportunity to get america back on the right track. they gave us an opportunity to get back to normal and to get back to the real issues that the country faces right now.

people want the opportunity to take care of their families. they simply want to provide for their children and give them a prosperous future. and ladies and gentlemen, we have the opportunity today to do just that. we have an opportunity to take our country back. with speaker mike johnson, senate majority leader john thune, and president donald j. trump in charge -- [ applause ] we have the opportunity to put america first again. [ applause ]

we have an opportunity to do something about crime. we have an opportunity to do something about the border, and we have an opportunity to take care of our veterans. we, and every single member in this chamber, and those of you watching at home and on tv should be looking forward knowing that america will be respected again. our country is the last bastion of hope. if we fail, then who? this is why we are focused on the issues that the majority of americans care about. god, family, country, faith,

freedom, and traditional american values. [ applause ] and we should be making it easier for people to achieve the american dream. over 14 months ago mike johnson took on a daunting task. no speaker is perfect, and no one will ever be. however, achieving perfection requires incremental gains, and hard decisions along the way. none of us will get exactly what we want. the fundamental collective goal of this body is to make progress for the american people in which we represent. and we have done just that.

under mike's leadership. we should be celebrating and building upon his efforts. our efforts. mike has remained the same kind and caring person as he was before he assumed this role. he's an honest broken. he shows you his true beliefs at face value. he is steadfast in his values of faith, family, and love of this country. he knows our brightest days are still ahead of us. and i do, too. i am hopeful for the next congress. i am optimistic that we will focus on those issues that people truly care about. i know mike will be an integral part of this country's comeback. he will lead us through another

successful republican majority. as chairwoman of the unified house republican conference, i can say proudly that we are ready to govern. [ applause ] it is my honor to present our conference's nominee for the speaker of the em people's house, the honorable mike johnson from the state of louisiana. [ applause ] >> now they do have the full number. so it's back to 218 for

majority. he can only afford to lose one. >> the clerk now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. aguilar. >> thank you, mr. clerk. [ applause ] thank you, mr. clerk. thank you, mr. clerk. i have had a little bit of practice, and clearly my colleagues took notice. i rise to place a name in nomination. but first i want to acknowledge my colleague from michigan for her heartfelt and personal nominating speech. someone who has given a few of these, i can say you served your conference well, representative mcclain. [ applause ] but mr. clerk, today i rise on behalf of the governing majority

of the house of representatives. [ applause ] the american people have sent a strong message that they want their elected leaders working together to tackle the affordability crisis. there is only one leader in this chamber with a track record of compromise, conviction, and compassion. there is only one leader who understands the needs of the working people and has lived the american dream himself, and is committed to ensuring its promise for future generations. there is only one leader who knows how to negotiate a bipartisan deal and then stick to that deal. [ applause ]

house democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber, hakeem jefferies of brooklyn. [ applause ] house democrats under the leadership of hakeem jefferies are committed to bipartisanship and common sense solutions to america's most pressing challenges. in the face of chaos and dysfunction over the last two years, our caucus has kept the government funded, kept our allies protected, and the economy secured from the catastrophic default. in the 119th congress we will

work with the incoming administration to make life better, safer, and more affordable for working families. and the incoming administration must also recognize that while my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are divided and while compromise remains a dirty word for so many, congress won't be able to keep the lights on let alone pass anything of substance without the buy in and blessing of house democrats and hakeem jefferies. [ applause ] make no mistake. democrats want to bring down the cost of living, build more housing, and lower the cost of everyday items like food, medicine, and childcare. even as the extreme rhetoric rises in this chamber and in the public square, we will not stop

advocating for the policies that do the most good for the most people. because of hakeem's leadership, we will never abandon our values or sacrifice our bedrock principles of freedom and democracy. when america's enemies abroad threatened ukraine, when terrorists attacked our strongest ally israel, it was hakeem jefferies in and house democrats who delivered the votes and stood tall for america's national security. [ applause ] when the least, lost, and left behind were threatened with devastating cuts, hakeem jefferies stood with america's mothers, children, and veterans. when the incoming administering wanted to raise the debt limit by trillions of dollars to finance tax cuts for the wealthy, well off and well connected, leaving middle-class families to pay for the bill and leaving them high and dry,

hakeem jefferies didn't just say no. he said -- >> hell no! >> that's why there is only one true candidate today for speaker. so, mr. clerk, i am honored to rise today at the direction of the house democratic caucus to place nomination for election to the position of speaker of the of representatives, pride of brooklyn, the gentleman from new york, hakeem jefferies. [ applause ] >> the names of the honorable mike johnson, representative elect from the state of

louisiana, and the honorable hakeem jefferies, a representative elect from the state of new york, have been placed in nomination. are there further nominations? there being no further nominations, the clerk appoints the following tellers. the gentleman from north carolina, miss fox. the gentleman from new york, mr. morelli. the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. style. and the gentlewoman from california, mrs. torres. the tellers will come forward and take their seats at the desk in front of the speaker's roster. >> so this is the procedure by which they will start the first roll call. only two leaders have been proposed. mike johnson, you saw the nomination by lisa mcclain from michigan, pete aguilar from california nominating hakeem jefferies.

there is strong support for hakeem jefferies and no one else was nominated, and now we will begin the first of the roll call. brendan buck is with me here. brendan, there is a certain amount of uncertainty as to what is going to happen because as you said earlier, some people might want to show their concerns about government spending and other things and might want to take a stand at least on the first roll call. >> yeah, this is a certainly way to make a name for yourself. i found it interesting, pete aguilar in knock naming hakeem jefferies needling some republicans saying just you wait, you know, hakeem jefferies is going to be a part of every negotiation that goes on this year, this majority can't do anything without democrats being involved. that's functionally the complaint that a lot of these members have, is that mike johnson has been too quick to turn to democrats to negotiate some of the things. of course, pete aguilar is right. there is little chance that republicans will be able to fund the government or increase the

debt limit as their own. we just learned that they need democrats to be able do those things at the end of the year as they were trying to clean things up. so just interesting that mike johnson detractors are getting sort of poked in the chest as they are nominating -- making the choice of whether they will vote for him. >> that was a little sly -- >> it they have been through this a few times. >> yes. these people know each other. actually they get along fairly well outside of the chamber, for the most part. and as we pointed out, there were in the quorum call, which is required to see who is there and make sure all are present, on the 433 members, not 434. but hank johnson of georgia, a democrat missed the call. so now there are 434 members present and available to vote. a majority is 218. and we will show the tally as it goes. so you can all follow it on screen as well.

we will be carrying all of this live. garrett haake, if you want to chime in while we wait for the roll to be called. >> reporter: yeah, we got a little bit of news in the last few minutes about the direction this vote may be going and why. we learned from victoria sparks, the republican congresswoman from indiana, who had been a question mark, she will vote for speaker johnson to remain speaker johnson, posting favorably about him on x, confirming to our colleague she would be a yes. good news for johnson there. bad from the other end of the aisle. a republican from tennessee saying he thinks this will go multiple bouts. he is a question mark vote. last name starts with a b. he could ensure that quickly by voting for someone other than mike johnson to be speaker. and we learned a little bit, as i think we are about to get underway, feel free to cut me off, what johnson appears to be promising members.

>> the roll will be called. those responding -- >> thank you. >> surname the nominee of their choosing. the realizing clerk will now call the roll. >> adams. jeffries. adder homes. johnson. aguilar. jeffries. alford. johnson. allen. >> johnson. >> ammo. jeffries.

amoday of nevada. johnson. ansari. jeffries. arrington. johnson. aukenclas. jeffries. babin. johnson. bacon. johnson. baird. johnson. balderson. johnson. balent. jeffries. barr. johnson. benegan. jeffries. barrett. barrett. baumgartner.

>> barrett or barts? >> mike johnson. >> barrett. johnson. barrett. >> johnson. >> johnson. baumgartner. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. bean of florida. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. >> beatty. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. begich. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. bell. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. bentz. >> johnson. >> johnson. >> barra. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. bergman. >> johnson. >> johnson.

beyer. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. bice. >> johnson. >> johnson. >> biggs of arizona. biggs of arizona. biggs of south carolina. >> trump's endorsement of johnson. >> johnson. arakus. >> johnson. >> johnson. bishop. jeffries. boebert. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. bonamichi. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. bost. >> mike johnson. >> johnson.

>> boyle of pennsylvania. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. johnson. bresnahan. >> johnson. >> johnson. brown. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. >> brown lee. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. buchanan. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. budzinski. jeffries. burchett. >> the gentleman from louisiana -- >> johnson. burleson. >> johnson. >> johnson. bynum. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. calvert. >> johnson. >> johnson.

kammock. >> johnson. >> johnson. carbajal. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. carrie. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. carson. carson. carter of georgia. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. carter of louisiana. >> hakeem jefferies. >> jeffries. carter of texas. johnson. kasar. >> jeffries. case. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. caston. >> jeffries. >> jeffries.

castro of texas. jeffries. >> jeffries. >> mccormick. >> jeffries. >> two. >> jeffries. cisco money. >> mike johnson. >> cisneros. >> jeffries. >> clark of massachusetts. jeffries. clark of new york. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. cleaver. jeffries. klein. johnson. cloud. cloud. clybourne. >> jeffries.

>> clyde. clyde.: cohan. jeffries. coal. johnson. collins. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. comer. >> johnson. >> conaway. jeffries. connolly. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. correa. jeffries. costa. jeffries. courtney. jeffries. craig. >> hakeem jeffries.

>> jeffries. crane. johnson. crank. johnson. crawford. johnson. crenshaw. johnson. crockett. jeffries. crow. jeffries. cuellar . jeffries. david's of kansas. jeffries. davidson. johnson. davis of illinois. jeffries. davis of north carolina. jeffries. dean of pennsylvania. jeffries.

diggett. jeffries. de la cruz. johnson. de lauro. jeffries. del benet. jeffries. jeffries. dejarlay. johnson. dexter. jeffries. diaz-balart. johnson. dingle. jeffries. doggett. jeffries. donald's. johnson. downing. johnson. dunn of florida. johnson. edwards.

johnson. elfreth. jeffries. lc. johnson. amer. johnson. escobar. jeffries. espiat. jeffries. estes. johnson. evans of colorado. johnson. evans of pennsylvania. jeffries. ezell. johnson. fallon. >> mike johnson! >> johnson. johnson. finstra.

johnson. fields. jeffries. figures. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. instead. johnson. fischbach. johnson. fitzgerald. johnson. fitzpatrick. johnson. fleishman. johnson. fletcher. jeffries. flood. johnson. fong. johnson. foster. jeffries. fushi. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. fox. johnson.

lois frankel. jeffries. scott franklin. johnson. friedman. jeffries. frost. jeffries. fry. johnson. fulcher. johnson. garamindy. johnson. garbarino. johnson. garcia of california. jeffries. garcia of illinois. jeffries. garcia of texas. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. >> gale of texas. johnson. guillen.

jeffries. jimenez. johnson. golden of maine name. jeffries. goldman of new york. jeffries. goldman of texas. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. gomez. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. tony gonzalez. >> johnson. >> johnson. vicente gonzalez. jeffries. gooden. johnson. good lender. jeffries. gosar. gosar. got heimer.

jeffries. graves. johnson. gray. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. green of tennessee. >> mike johnson. >> greene of texas. [ inaudible ] >> order! >> the gentleman may respond by surname. [ inaudible ] ]

[ applause ] green of texas. jeffries. greene of georgia. johnson. griffith. >> johnson. >> johnson. grijalva. jeffries. grothman. johnson. guest. johnson. guthrie. johnson. hageman. johnson. hamade of arizona. johnson.

haradopolis. johnson. harrigan. johnson. harris of maryland. harris of maryland. harris of north carolina. johnson. harshbarger. johnson. hayes. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. hearn of oklahoma. johnson. higgins of louisiana. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. hill of arkansas. >> johnson. >> johnson. himes. jeffries. henson. >> mike johnson.

>> johnson. >> course for. jeffries. houchen. johnson. houlihan. jeffries. hoyer. jeffries. hoyle of oregon. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. hudson. johnson. huffman. jeffries. hizinga. johnson. hunt. johnson. heard of colorado. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. issa. johnson. ivey. jeffries.

jack. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. jackson of illinois. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. jackson of texas. johnson. jacobs. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. james. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. jayapal. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. [ cheers and applause ] >> johnson of georgia. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. >> johnson of louisiana. >> johnson. .

[ cheers and applause ] >> johnson of south dakota. johnson. johnson of texas. jeffries. jordan. johnson. joyce of ohio. >> johnson. >> johnson. joyce of pennsylvania. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. >> kim. >> hakeem jeffries. >> captor. jeffries. caine. johnson. keating. jeffries. kelly of illinois.

jeffries. kelly of mississippi. johnson. kelly of pennsylvania. >> johnson. >> johnson. kennedy of new york. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. kennedy of utah. johnson. connor. jeffries. kiggans of virginia. johnson. kiley of california. johnson. kim. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. johnson. krishnamoorthi. jeffries.

la hood. johnson. la lora. johnson. lamalfa. >> born on the bayou. johnson. >> langworthy. johnson. larson of washington. jeffries. larson of connecticut. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. latimer. jeffries. latta. johnson. lawler. >> the honorable mike johnson! >> johnson lee of florida. johnson. lee of nevada. jeffries.

lee of pennsylvania. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. >> leger fernandez. >> hakeem jeffries! >> jeffries. letlo. johnson. licardo. jeffries. lofgren. jeffries. loudermilk. johnson. lucas. >> johnson. >> johnson. luna. >> maga mike johnson. >> johnson. littrell. johnson. lynch. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. mace. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. mckenzie. johnson.

magaziner. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. johnson. malloy. johnson. mann. johnson. manion. jeffries. massey. amer. mast. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. matsui. jeffries. macbeth. jeffries. mcbride. jeffries. mccall. >> johnson. >> johnson. mclean. >> mike johnson.

>> mclean delaney. jeffries. mcclellan. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. mcclintock. johnson. mccollum. >> jeffries! >> jeffries. mccormick. >> johnson. >> johnson. mcdonough rivet. jeffries. mcdowell. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. mick garvey. jeffries. mcgovern. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. mcguire. [ inaudible ] >> johnson. mciver. >> hakeem jeffries.

>> jeffries. makes. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. menendez. jeffries. mang. >> jeffries. >> messmer. >> johnson. muse are. johnson. jeffries. miller of illinois. johnson. miller of ohio. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. miller of west virginia. johnson. miller makes. . [ inaudible ] >> johnson. mills. johnson. minn. jeffries. molinar.

johnson. moore of alabama. johnson. moore of north carolina. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. moore of utah. johnson. moore of wisconsin. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. moore of west virginia. johnson. moran. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. morelli. jeffries. morrison. jeffries. moscowitz. moscowitz? jeffries. moulton. jeffries. mervyn. jeffries. mullen. jeffries.

murphy. johnson. nadler. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. neil. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. neguse. johnson. -- jeffries. nails. johnson. new house. johnson. norcross. jeffries. norman. jordan. nunn of iowa. >> the honorable mike johnson.

>> johnson. ocasio-cortez. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. ogles. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. jeffries. omar. jeffries. ander. johnson. owens. johnson. jeffries. palmer. palmer. >> johnson. >> johnson. pineda. jeffries. papiz. jeffries. pelosi.

>> the honorable hakeem jeffries. [ . cheers and applause ] perez. >> jeffries. >> perry. >> johnson. >> johnson. peters. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. >> peterson. >> hakeem jeffries. >> pflueger. johnson. jeffries. pocan. jeffries. poe. jeffries.

presley. presley. jeffries. quigley. jeffries. ramirez. >> hakeem jeffries! >> jeffries. randall. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. raskin. jeffries. johnson. riley of new york. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. rivas. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. rogers of alabama. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. rogers of kentucky. johnson.

rose. johnson. ross. jeffries. rouser. johnson. roy. roy. ruiz. jeffries. truly. johnson. rutherford. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. ryan. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. salazar. johnson. salinas. jeffries. sanchez. sanchez.

>> jeffries! >> jeffries. scalise. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. scanlan. jeffries. cyckowski. jeffries. schmidt. johnson. schneider. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. sculton. jeffries. schreier. jeffries. schweikert. johnson. austin scott. >> johnson. >> johnson. david scott. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. scott of virginia. jeffries. self. donald's.

sessions. >> johnson. >> johnson. suelle. johnson. cheryl. jeffries. shreve. johnson. simon. simon. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. simpson. simpson. >> johnson. >> johnson. smith of missouri. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. smith of nebraska.

johnson. smith of new jersey. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. smith of washington. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. smucker. johnson. sorensen. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. soto. jeffries. spartz. spartz. >> johnson. >> johnson. stansberry. >> hakeem jeffries. >> stanton. >> jeffries. stauber. johnson. stefano. johnson. style. johnson.

stubbe. johnson. strickland. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. strong. johnson. stutsman. johnson. suozzi. jeffries. swell well. jeffries. sikes. jeffries. tecano. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. taylor. johnson. tenney. johnson. tenedar. jeffries.

thompson of california. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. thompson of mississippi. jeffries. thompson of pennsylvania. johnson. tiffany. >> johnson. >> johnson. timmons. johnson. titus. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. jeffries. tekuda. jeffries. tonco. jeffries. torres of california. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. torres of new york. >> jeffries. >> jeffries.

trahan. jeffries. tran. jeffries. turner of ohio. >> johnson. >> johnson. turner of texas. jeffries. underwood. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. valedeo. johnson. van drew. johnson. van dyne. johnson. van orden. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. vargas. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. vasquez. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. veasey. jeffries. lindeman. >> jeffries.

>> jeffries. wagner. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. lomberg. johnson. waltz. waltz. wasserman schultz. >> jeffries. >> jeffries. waters. [ inaudible ] >> jeffries. watson coleman. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. >> weber of texas. >> michael johnson. >> johnson. webster of florida. johnson. westerman. johnson.

whitesides. jeffries. we'd. johnson. williams of georgia. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries. williams of texas. johnson. wilson of florida. >> hakeem jeffries! >> jeffries. wilson of south carolina. johnson. whitman. >> mike johnson. >> johnson. womack. >> johnson. >> yakum. johnson.

>> for what purpose does the gentle lady from the virgin islands seek recognition? [ inaudible ] >> northern mariana, puerto rico, the virgin islands, and the district of columbia were not called. representing, collectively, 4 million americans. [ cheers and applause ] >> mr. speaker, collectively, the largest per capita of

veterans in this country. >> does the gentle lady have a problem? >> i asked why they were not called. >> the gentle lady is recognized. >> i asked why they were not called from the parliamentarian, please. >> delegates select and the resident commissioner elect are not qualified to vote. representatives elect are the only individuals qualified to vote in the election of the speaker, as provided in section 36 of the house rules and manual, the speaker is elected by a majority of the members elect voting by surname. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this body and this nation has a territory and colonies problem. what was supposed to be temporary has now, effectively, become permanent. we must do something about this. >> the gentle lady is no longer recognized.

[ cheers and applause ] [ inaudible ] >> the house will be in order. the reading clerk will now call the names of the representatives elect, who did not answer the first call of the role. . biggs of arizona. >> johnson. >> johnson. carson. >> hakeem jeffries. >> jeffries.

cloud. >> johnson. >> johnson. clyde. clyde. gosar. gosar. harris of maryland. >> johnson paid >> johnson.

roy. >> johnson. waltz. >> johnson. >> if there are any representatives elect, who did not answer the call of the roll, they may come to the well and vote at this time. >> just stand right there. >> clyde.

clyde. >> johnson. >> gosar. johnson. [ inaudible ] clyde. johnson.

[ inaudible ] >> garrett haake, our senior congressional correspondent is outside the chamber. garrett, he has come up short. >> yes, that's right, there is a process, members can change their votes until the gavel falls. if the numbers stay the way they are, republican members -- mike johnson cannot become speaker on this vote. we knew going into this at thomas massey would be one of those votes against johnson. he voted for tom hemmer instead.

other votes against johnson, a bit more surprising here. keith self of north texas, representing counties just north of dallas, voting for byron donalds, and ralph norman of south carolina, who was pretty coy when i talked to him yesterday, coming and going from the speaker's office, voting for jim jordan. mike johnson's task now will be to convince, at least, one of those three to change their mind. we have a bit of additional drama that will end up being something for the history books, with six other republican members that were part of that holdout group, sitting on their hands when their names were first called in the roll call, withholding their boats till the very end on that second time around. you saw the likes of chip roy and andrew clyde and michael cloud of texas, who had all been johnson skeptics, ultimately, voting for, technically, former speaker mike johnson, to resume the role. johnson has a decision to make. you see him talking there but

dusty johnson of south dakota. do you keep this vote open and try to whip these members, try to have conversations now, or do you try to adjourn the chamber, as kevin mccarthy did on several occasions to try to find out exactly what these folks want, and if it is something you can get to them? you see him huddling with his team. that is nancy mace in the red dress, trying to figure out the best path forward. there really can be no other business here, except, another boat on this issue or adjournment. that is the johnson -- choice johnson gets to make now. >> brendan buck is with me. >> right now, he has control of when they gavel down. >> i don't think the clerk will keep the boat open forever, but they will, certainly, show some deference. the one issue, garrett is right, either they vote or adjourn, but adjourning is not that simple. mike johnson cannot just say, we will adjourn. there has to be a vote to adjourn.

if the members that just voted against johnson don't want that to happen, they don't have to go along with that. the democrats don't have to go along with that. they would be short of the votes to adjourn, and the next order would be to vote again. the options are quite limited, are not really in mike johnson's control. i will say, losing only three bouts is very good for mike johnson, relative to where kevin mccarthy was. he lost 19 on the first one, eventually, that became 20. just having to flip a couple folks is, certainly, much easier, and it would not surprise me if they try to muscle this rewrite on the floor. i am surprised that he is not directly engaging with some of these members that voted against him, but clearly, there is shuttle diplomacy going on. i believe that is burchett, a freedom caucus member from tennessee in his ear, passing messages. >> probably, messages involving jim jordan, the freedom caucus.

garrett, he is not going door to door. we remember kevin mccarthy going around the floor, being followed by the cameras. he is sitting there and figuring out what his options are. what kind of bargaining do you i catell you some of it, i'm watching it happen over my shoulder right now. nancy mace, who was just talking to the speaker on the floor is now huddled in one of the chambers just off the floor. i can see it, but i can't get there, with ralph norman. a no vote from her state of south carolina. her back is to me. i cannot tell you what they are talking about. at least, some of that work of either figuring out what can be offered or promised, what steps need to happen to get there, is happening just off the house floor, maybe 20 feet from where i am standing. >> you say you can't get there, is that in the speaker's lobby? where is that? >> reporter: no, for folks that have been here, it is, essentially, between the doors

of the chamber. there are two sets of doors, the outer doors and inner doors. we said there are no rules at the beginning. there are still some rules, and ice can't go past that outer door to get to where the conversation is happening. >> i just wanted to clarify. so, right now, mike johnson is three votes shy, and they are republican votes that he needs to try to bargain for, so the question is, how quickly can he do this, and can he do it without an adjournment? which, would prolong the agony of all of this. brendan buck, in pointing out that he is not that far from the goal, considering all the different factions to play with. >> reporter: a very good vote for johnson. we know that massey is never going to be there. he has made that very clear. now, what assurances can you give to norman and to self, who were detractors previously.

keith self voted against kevin mccarthy the first time. clearly, they can be had at some point. as i said earlier, they are somewhat isolated, as well. this is not something that they have a whole lot of cover within the conference. i imagine, based on ralph norman's history, what he will be looking for is assurances on spending cuts. whether or not those are realistic, i don't know, but that has been the drum that he has banged in similar situations. it, certainly, looks to me like they will figure out a resolution before gambling out of it, but ultimately, what i will say is, even those two members or the three members that voted against him, know that mike johnson is going to be speaker again. i imagine they realize that. the question is, what do they think they can get out of it? how strong is their position? how long can they hold out? they are pretty isolated at this point. >> brendan, you have worked for two speakers now.

what kind of promises made now are the promises that are hard to break? spending cuts, that kind of promise, it strikes me that is broken all the time, but changing a rule so that the speaker can be removed by one person standing up and calling for removal, that was something very different. >> reporter: something that got kevin mccarthy in trouble were the made promises that were somewhat out of his control. you can control what you do in the house to a certain degree, but you can't control what gets through the senate. you can't control how the votes are going to break out. i think, maybe, there was a situation talking past each other with ralph norman and kevin mccarthy last time. what does he want to hear? interesting that there is a lot of movement on the floor right now. there are, certainly, things that a speaker can give someone. that's what kevin mccarthy did before, giving positions to people on the house rules committee, which proved to be a real problem for the agenda, when you have people on the rules committee, which sets the

terms for debate. you have members that don't want to do what the leadership wants to do, and that makes the house very difficult to govern, and they learned that time and time again. the one thing that does not seem to have been up for debate is that motion to vacate that you motioned. how easy it is to remove the speaker. mike johnson struck a deal, or, members of the conference struck a deal to raise that threshold from one single member being able to do that to nine. that seems to have held. i don't know if that is something that ralph norman or keith self are looking for an exchange, to go back to that single vote threshold, but changes to the rules are the kinds of things he could negotiate at this point. >> garrett, can you tell from your vantage point, as these negotiations or arm twisting continue, what the state of play is? is it hard to tell when they are reaching a resolution, or if there is more talk to be had? >> reporter: the short answer,

andrea, is no. i think this is a bit of a problem for johnson. i thought he had this sewn up or close to it, before going to the floor. we have not got a chance to talk about this tweet that he put out, that went live just as the boat was starting. a lengthy post from mike johnson outlining some steps he was taking to try to control spending, recognizing that as a key issue. it amounts to setting up a blue ribbon commission that would work with does, which is a blue ribbon commission, outside panel and outside folks to help the committees do the work they are supposed to do to cut spending, issue a report. a lot of language in here about the recommitment to those spending cuts. i think that is as far as he could go, to the point brendan was making, about things he can actually control in an effort to get folks that are distrustful of him what they wanted. clearly, that, and perhaps, other promises were enough for some of those folks. i'm thinking about chip roy,

who had been very outspoken about his frustrations with johnson in recent weeks, but not enough for others. i'm watching what appears to be ralph norman take a phone call in the vestibule about 20 feet away from me. perhaps, there is someone else having this argument with him, although, i can't tell you who. to brendan's point, it's a bit of a process, if johnson can't get this settled while the vote is open, to go back to square one. remember, we have some recent history with this. with kevin mccarthy, he was able to go to recess, slowly shrink the opposition. when jim jordan was the speaker nominee, the opposition only grew months later. i think there is a risk here about pressing the momentum you might have now if you are mike johnson, or going back to the drawing board, as it were, and risking other folks, who, perhaps, begrudgingly voted for him, deciding that he can't win and going the other way. >> i remember when jim jordan declared his candidacy during those 15 roll calls. i think we saw mike johnson

leave the chamber. am i correct? it was hard to see. i think he may have walked out of the back of the chamber. fred upton and peter baker are still with us, sam stein also joining us, the managing editor of the bulwark. the vote count we have is 216 votes, and it's not official because they have not gaveled down. so far, pending the gavel and pending any switching of votes, which always takes place, there are 216 votes for mike johnson, 215 for hakeem jeffries, three votes for other republicans, and johnson needed 218 votes to win. the other votes, one vote for jim jordan, one vote for tom emmer, and one vote for byron donalds. sam, we are at this stage, we don't know which way this is going to go. >> no, i am aligned with brendan, which is, this is a fairly decent count for mike johnson.

there were six holdouts, who could have, at any point, cast a vote against johnson. the big one was chip roy. everyone assumed if ever there would be someone that joined massey, it would be him. he voted for johnson. johnson, basically, have a straightforward task. how do you flip these two votes, the votes being norman and self. i assume he will have donald trump and elon musk on the phone with both members of congress, telling them that they have to get in line. i assume in a short period of time, you will ultimately see them -- johnson will get the speakership. that being said, two things. one, it's an embarrassment for johnson. obviously, you want to win the first ballot. it just underscores that this is a fractured party still. two, it does underscore how slim the majority is, if you can only lose two votes on these things. when it comes to the speaker,

think about how hard it will be to fund the government in three months time or raise the debt ceiling, and everything that got johnson into this position, which was, essentially, working with democrats to solve those big issues, will re-present themselves again down the road, and we will find ourselves back in the same place all over again. again, a good, decent vote for johnson, but a sign of tough things to come. >> fred upton, you know the republican caucus as it has evolved. he is going to have to have democratic votes to get anything accomplished, and anytime he goes to the democrats, he will find himself in trouble with the freedom caucus or others. >> well, he is, and you have to remember, again, literally, within a couple weeks he will have three fewer votes than he has today. three house republicans are going to be joining the trump administration, and it's going to take a special election, which means weeks of time to gather signatures, have a primary, have a general election. it will not be until late

spring that those seats are filled. in some cases, you have democratic governors, who aren't going to be particularly anxious to expedite the timetable to replace those members. the other point that i might just make is, three house republicans voted for somebody else. there were six holdouts that waited until the end, of which chip roy was one of the ringleaders of that. it was sort of like, here we are. remember, the new rules package will require nine members of the same party to say, you are out, to vacate the chair. you take the 3+ the six, all of a sudden, you send a signal to the new speaker, we've got nine folks here that are ready to oust you if you don't acquiesce to the demand of the day. a little bit of an ominous warning for the days ahead. we will see. >> right. peter baker.

let's talk about, what happens next, with all of the important how is this government going to function? >> that's a great question. sam talked about that already, a little bit. it says something that the first and most basic responsibility of the new house majority to elect the speaker becomes such a drama on a repeated basis. that never used to be the case, not in our lifetimes. a back century ago, maybe, but in our lifetime, this was a routine vote. now, of course, it's a sign of house dysfunction. now, does it lead to greater dysfunction? we will find out. the margins are so narrow. we saw that attempt by president-elect trump before the holidays on the spending deal, to force the house to give him two years without having to deal with the debt ceiling. house republicans, as loyal as they are to donald trump, rejected that. about 40 of them, roughly that

number, rebelled against him. even for trump, as dominant as he is, the republican loyalty will manage and navigate this very evenly split -- >> sam stein, looking forward, how did the democrats respond? they, clearly, are going to be standard in united opposition, but there will come times when they have to figure out the debt ceiling or shutting down the government is not in their interest. >> that is almost a more interesting story, to a degree. some specifics. think of the debt limit. donald trump, right before the holiday break, not only said he wanted it lifted, he said he wanted it eliminated. few republicans feel that way, but some democrats, actually, do. elizabeth warren has legislation calling for the elimination of the debt ceiling. do democrats take the opportunity to try to pursue narrow policy achievements with donald trump, even if it hands

him larger victories? that is really a question facing the party. it will also happen on immigration, right out of the gate. the party recognizes that it has a bad optics issue, frankly, to a degree, a policy issue on immigration. they have to get ahead of it. do they cooperate? do they try to team up with trump in narrow areas on immigration policy, knowing full well that he will try to have this massive reconciliation bill on the border? that is kind of the more interesting governance question. we know that the house republicans are going to be fracture us. we have seen this script play out before. we will see it again in three months, four months time. i am more interested in how the democrats play their hands. in this case, it's very easy. they are not going to vote for mike johnson for speaker. it gets harder when donald trump starts playing on their turf a little bit. >> and, peter baker, going forward, what is the role, finally, in the next 30 seconds, of donald trump in all of this?

>> it's interesting that he put out his message this morning. he endorsed johnson, but his message this morning was, good luck, mike johnson. it was not exactly the most stirring, forceful public message you have ever heard. he does not want to be embarrassed by whatever happens. >> well, that does it for me this hour. as we continue to watch the events on the house floor, and how mike johnson is going to either pull out these votes, and it's only three votes, and secure his speakership on the first ballot, or whether they have to go to a second ballot. alex witt picks up coverage right now. welcome, everyone, good day to all of you. i'm alex witt. we have been watching high drama, bracing for round two after three republican holdouts, appear to have sunk his bid to be speaker of the house, this in just