More than three weeks after the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House, Republicans unanimously elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to serve in the role.
Johnson, who was sworn into office on Wednesday, Oct. 25, was the fourth candidate nominated to replace McCarthy.
Posts about Johnson’s record quickly began circulating on social media after his election as House speaker.
Some people, including actress and singer Barbara Streisand, claim Johnson opposes abortion rights, same-sex marriage and funding for Ukraine. Other posts claim he voted to object to the 2020 presidential election results and wants to cut entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Several readers also emailed us to ask about Johnson's voting record.
We VERIFY where Johnson stands on five key issues addressed in the viral online posts.
THE SOURCES
- Statements from Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.)
- Posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, made by Johnson
- Congressional legislation
- Results of various votes from the U.S. House Clerk
- GovTrack.us
- Amicus brief led by Rep. Mike Johnson
- YouTube video of 2018 conversation with the American Enterprise Institute
- Interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Oct. 26, 2023
- Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America scorecard for Johnson
QUESTION #1: Did Johnson support efforts to overturn the 2020 election results?
THE ANSWER
VERIFY found that Johnson voted to object to the results of the 2020 presidential election between Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump in both Arizona and Pennsylvania.
He was one of more than 100 House members to vote in favor of objecting to the results in both cases.
Johnson also led an amicus brief signed by 125 other House members in support of a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.
QUESTION #2: Does Johnson want to cut Social Security and Medicare?
THE ANSWER
Johnson has expressed his support for reforming programs like Social Security and Medicare. He hasn’t said he wants to cut the programs altogether.
On his website, Johnson calls on Congress to “reform and modernize entitlement programs.” He does not name Social Security and Medicare, but they are commonly referred to as “entitlement programs."
Johnson was asked about entitlement reform during a February 2018 conversation with the American Enterprise Institute. He identified this type of reform as a “No. 1 priority,” but didn’t explicitly call for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
QUESTION #3: Does Johnson oppose abortion rights?
THE ANSWER
Johnson’s record on abortion has been clear and consistent over the years. He has expressed opposition to abortion rights through proposing legislation and cosponsoring various bills.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a nonprofit that opposes abortion rights, has given him an “A+ rating” for his congressional voting record.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Oct. 26, Johnson called Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion before the Supreme Court overturned it, “the most erroneous Court opinion that has ever been issued.”
He expressed support for individual states making decisions about abortion rights, acknowledging that “there’s no national consensus among the people on what to do with that issue on a federal level.”
Johnson has championed Louisiana’s abortion law, which instituted a near total-ban in the state.
In February 2023, he introduced legislation that would make it illegal to transport a minor across state lines to get an abortion “without satisfying parental involvement law.” That bill, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, would also make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion without first notifying an out-of-state minor’s parents.
The House of Representatives has not passed this bill.
In years past, Johnson cosponsored bills that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as well as after 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. The House did not pass these bills, either.
QUESTION #4: Does Johnson oppose same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights?
THE ANSWER
Johnson has voice opposition to same-sex marriage for decades, though he said in his interview with Hannity that he respects “the rule of law.”
“When the Supreme Court issued the Obergefell opinion, that became the law of the land,” Johnson said during the interview.
In the Obergefell opinion, the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires all states to recognize and license same-sex marriage.
Johnson also told Hannity he is a “Bible-believing Christian,” but he does not have an “agenda other than what’s best for the American people and to defend the rule of law.”
Before his time in Congress, Johnson served as an attorney with what’s now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the foremost legal advocates of causes valued by many of the religious right, the Associated Press reports.
While working for the ADF, Johnson championed a 2004 Louisiana ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage, writing in a local newspaper that “homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural” and that society should not approve “such a dangerous lifestyle.”
More recently, in 2022, Johnson opposed the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act.
The law, which President Joe Biden signed in December 2022, ensures that the federal government recognizes marriage regardless of race, ethnicity or sex and requires all states to recognize all marriages conducted legally in other states.
Johnson also introduced legislation in October 2020 that was dubbed a national “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The Stop the Sexualization of Children Act would have prohibited “the use of federal funds to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually-oriented program, event or literature for children under the age of 10.
Topics “involving sexual orientation, gender identity, gender dysphoria or related subjects” were included under the bill’s definition of “sexually-oriented.”
The House did not pass the bill.
QUESTION #5: Does Johnson oppose U.S. aid to Ukraine?
THE ANSWER
Johnson has a mixed record on U.S. aid to Ukraine. He has expressed support for Ukraine in the past, but has also voted against additional funding for the country on at least two occasions.
In February 2022, Johnson posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, voicing opposition to Russia’s invasion and support for Ukraine.
“We should impose debilitating sanctions on Russia’s economic interests,” Johnson said. “We should return to robust American energy production to provide greater stability and security here and for our European allies. We should exclude Russia from global commerce and international institutions.”
Several months later, in April 2022, he voted in favor of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. That bill aimed to make it easier for the U.S. to provide military support to Ukraine.
But, in May 2022, he voted against an appropriations bill that provided more than $40 billion in emergency funding to Ukraine.
Johnson again voted against additional funding for Ukraine in September 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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