Trump-Backed Mike Johnson Re-Elected Speaker of the House

The Louisiana Republican is considered a beardown protagonist of the crypto industry.

Jan 3, 2025, 8:30 p.m. UTC

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) volition get to support the large gavel aft his chap Republicans voted to re-elect him House Speaker connected Friday afternoon.

Johnson, who has been publically backed by President-elect Donald Trump, was capable to garner the minimum 218 votes needed to triumph the occupation successful the archetypal circular of voting, though helium had to transportation 2 of his chap Republicans – Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) and Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) – who initially voted for different candidates to alteration their votes to him.

With Republicans lone having a razor-thin borderline of power of the House, Johnson could lone spend to suffer 1 ballot – which helium did, to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky). Massie's "no" ballot came arsenic nary surprise; helium antecedently told erstwhile Rep. Matt Gaetz that helium would virtually withstand torture earlier voting for Johnson. Instead, Massie voted for Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the Majority Whip and a longtime protagonist of the crypto industry. Emmer voted for Johnson.

Friday’s voting process – the archetypal bid of concern astatine the commencement of the 119th Congress – took lone 2.5 hours successful total, a overmuch swifter and much streamlined process than the erstwhile predetermination successful Oct. 2023 that first saw Johnson elected.

Though Johnson has not been precise outspoken astir crypto issues, helium is wide considered to beryllium a person to the industry. He antecedently voted for the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (more commonly known arsenic FIT21) and an anti-central slope integer currency (CBDC) bill.

Johnson’s re-election — and Emmer’s continued presumption arsenic Majority Whip – means crypto-friendly members of Congress are apt well-positioned to propulsion crypto authorities successful 2025.

Cheyenne Ligon

On the quality squad astatine CoinDesk, Cheyenne focuses connected crypto regularisation and crime. Cheyenne is primitively from Houston, Texas. She studied governmental subject astatine Tulane University successful Louisiana. In December 2021, she graduated from CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, wherever she focused connected concern and economics reporting. She has nary important crypto holdings.