Shreveport Reporter

This morning, Speaker Johnson addressed the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, urging Congressional Democrats to support the Laken Riley Act. He highlighted Republicans' efforts to advance the Trump agenda and discussed sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"When we brought this bill forward last Congress, shockingly, amazingly to me, 170 House Democrats voted against that legislation," Speaker Johnson said. "But as Democrats struggle with their identity now as a party post-election, we'll find out if they're still clinging into that open border policy and that mantra, despite the American people roundly rejecting all that in November. We'll see. This will be a telling vote."

The early Republican agenda was also a focal point of Johnson's remarks. "On Friday, we passed our rules package, as you all know, and that included 12 policy measures that proved to the people that House Republicans are serious about delivering on our promises," he stated. The agenda includes measures aimed at securing borders, boosting American energy production, protecting elections, and returning to common sense governance.

Discussing the Laken Riley Act specifically, Johnson emphasized its importance for border security. "As promised, we're starting today with border security. If you polled the populace and the voters, they would tell you that that was the top of the list," he said.

Johnson criticized President Biden's response following Laken’s death: "The only thing President Biden did after Laken’s tragic death was apologize for calling her murderer an illegal. That's outrageous; we all know the real victim here was young Laken."

Regarding ICC sanctions legislation set for a vote this week, Johnson asserted: "The House will not tolerate rogue actors who circumvent international law to attack Israel and threaten America." He expressed confidence in Senate action following anticipated House approval.