The latest in a long line of GOP House candidates seeking the speakership since Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position earlier this month, Rep. Mike Johnson is believed to be an Article V supporter, having voted for the Convention of States resolution as a state lawmaker in 2016.
Last month, Rep. Johnson of Louisiana headed a congressional subcommittee examining the efficacy of using Article V to reduce Washington’s power, in which he spoke positively about the mission of Convention of States.
“We have to acknowledge that the federal government is way too big, and it does way too many things, and very little of what it does does it do well,” he said. “The administrative state has grown exponentially over the recent decades, and it… has consolidated governmental powers in the executive branch…. That consolidation of power has become really very dangerous. It's created an administrative state that is out of control.”
The congressman’s home state of Louisiana passed the Convention of States resolution in 2016. Roll call vote records from the time reveal that Johnson was among those who voted in favor.
"Regardless of party, regardless of political ideology, I think one thing most of us... could agree on is that the government has grown too large," the representative declared during debate in the Louisiana legislature. "At least on a federal level, let's agree that government is doing too much. It's doing way more than the Founders intended or designed it to do. And so they had the wisdom to put a safeguard in the Constitution."
The past few weeks in Congress have crudely tested the American people’s patience with the federal government. It is refreshing to see the rare politician who seems to understand that Washington has overstepped its bounds and needs to be reined in.
“At this critical juncture, our House Republican Majority must provide principled leadership," Johnson urged in his speakership announcement. "It is our duty to chart a new path, and answer with clarity and conviction who we are, why we are here, and what we are fighting for. As Scripture reminds us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov. 29:18).
A recent edition of COS LIVE reviewed the recent congressional hearing in which Article V and our Convention of States movement was a frequent topic.
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