This weekend, Speaker Mike Johnson published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal discussing what he described as significant achievements by House Republicans during the first session of the 119th Congress.
In his piece, Johnson wrote, “Even with the slimmest of congressional majorities and historic obstruction from Democrats, President Trump and Republicans have kept our promises, restored order and laid the groundwork for an extraordinary new year—from containing the border crisis and stabilizing inflation to securing historic tax, trade and peace deals.”
Johnson detailed several legislative efforts from 2025. He noted that House Republicans passed tax cuts, supported business expansion, repealed regulations they viewed as harmful, and addressed rising healthcare costs. According to Johnson, “The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act does exactly what it suggests. The bill would expand healthcare access and reduces health-insurance premiums by an estimated 11%, while saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. These are bipartisan policies by definition.”
He criticized Democratic opposition to these measures: “So what gives? The answer has less to do with policy than with politics. As their record-breaking shutdown made clear, today’s Democratic leadership is interested not in finding solutions but in preserving issues for November.”
Johnson argued that previous policies under Democratic leadership had increased living costs: “For all we hear of ‘affordability,’ it was the Biden-Democrat tax-and-spend agenda that made American life significantly less affordable. Take healthcare. Premiums have soared, quality has plummeted, and fraud has become rampant ever since ObamaCare took effect 12 years ago.”
He outlined Republican alternatives: “House Republicans have a different approach. We start by asking the right question: What’s driving the problem?”
Among legislative milestones cited were passing 441 bills, codifying executive orders from President Trump’s administration, rescinding spending considered wasteful, repealing certain regulations enacted during President Biden’s term using the Congressional Review Act, and avoiding large last-minute funding packages.
On economic policy changes enacted this year Johnson said: “Chief among our accomplishments was the Working Families Tax Cuts package…which delivered the bulk of the Republican agenda in one bill…early enough in the year that its effects can be felt quickly.” He added that this included substantial tax relief for middle- and working-class families: “This spring, the average American family can expect to see a $10,000 increase in take-home pay and a tax refund of $1,000 to $2,000 per household.”
Additional measures mentioned include permanent incentives for small businesses offering child care or paid leave; expanded child tax credits; savings accounts for newborns; business deductions; investment write-offs; reforms on border security; rollbacks on green-energy initiatives; changes to Medicaid and SNAP aimed at limiting eligibility for undocumented immigrants; and work requirements for certain adults.
Discussing inflation trends over recent years Johnson wrote: “President Biden inherited near-record-low inflation of 1.4%. Four years of Democrat control added $8.5 trillion to the national debt…But hitting most Americans today is…the cumulative 21.5% increase in prices over Mr. Biden’s four-year term.” He suggested Republican actions had helped reduce consumer prices recently.
Looking ahead he stated: “Next year we’ll celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence…The best is yet to come.”
Mike Johnson currently serves as Speaker of the House representing Louisiana’s 4th district since replacing John Fleming in 2017 (https://www.congress.gov/member/mike-johnson/J000299). Before his time in Congress he served in Louisiana’s state legislature between 2015–2017 (https://ballotpedia.org/Mike_Johnson_(Louisiana)). Born in Shreveport in 1972 and residing now in Benton at age 51 (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/J000299), Johnson earned both undergraduate (1995) and law degrees (1998) from Louisiana State University.
