MD. DEMOCRATS REACT TO ELECTION OF JOHNSON AS HOUSE SPEAKER

Maryland Democratic lawmakers are reacting to the election of Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson as House Speaker. Senator Chris Van Hollen says Johnson’s reputation precedes him – a MAGA Republican who wants to strip away reproductive rights and is an election denier. Van Hollen says it’s scary that he is now third in line to the presidency. Congressman Kweisi Mfume says Democrats are, and have always been prepared to pass a federal budget, address global discord, and continue building the framework for working-class prosperity. He says unfortunately, the Republican majority will likely be focused on an ideology that defends attempts to overturn the 2020 election, criminalizes a woman’s right to choose, cuts Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and endangers LGBTQ and minority communities.