Speaker Johnson’s next job is tamping down a bubbling GOP revolt against him

House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to work the phones over the holidays in a bid to avoid losing the gavel in January after some hard-right lawmakers denounced his handling of recent spending negotiations.

Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, is in hot water with at least a handful of Republicans who could block his reelection to speaker on Jan. 3 by voting for another candidate. 

The move could leave the speaker’s chair empty for days or more as House Republicans search for a replacement who can win nearly every vote in a razor-thin GOP majority. It would prevent the House from conducting legislative business or swearing in new members and could even interfere with the Jan. 6 certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s election to a second term.

Some Republican lawmakers say they are fed up with Mr. Johnson over his failure to secure spending and other policy reforms in must-pass funding legislation negotiated with Democrats. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is angry that Mr. Johnson did not force a provision into the recently passed government funding bill to delay the expiration of the nation’s borrowing limit until halfway through his term. 

“We have a lot of our colleagues that are losing confidence,” Rep. Cory Mills, Florida Republican, said. “We’re not sticking to the principles and the values in which we say that we fight for.”

One GOP lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, declared he is a firm “no” on the vote for Mr. Johnson’s reelection.

Thanks to the GOP’s bare majority, a loss of even one more Republican would keep Mr. Johnson from winning a second term in the speaker’s chair.

“I can’t speak for other people. I’m not voting for him,” Mr. Massie said.  “You can pull out my fingernails. I still won’t do it.”

Republicans were frustrated over the initial 1,500-page funding extension negotiated by Mr. Johnson that was filled with wins for Democrats, woke policies and snuck in a pay raise for lawmakers. They piled on Mr. Johnson once Mr. Musk trashed the plan, which was followed by a similar denouncement by Mr. Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. 

Mr. Johnson negotiated a slimmed-down package, which he framed as a necessary step to clear the agenda for the new Trump administration. Passage averted a potentially politically disastrous partial government shutdown.

“In January, we will make a sea change in Washington,” Mr. Johnson said shortly after the funding extension passed. “President Trump will return to D.C. and to the White House, and we will have Republican control of the Senate and the House. Things are going to be very different around here.”

Mr. Johnson has so far sustained the public backing of Mr. Trump and one of his top advisors, tech-billionaire Elon Musk. Mr. Musk posted on X following the passage of the bill that “the speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances.”

More and more Republicans, both from within the walls of Congress and outside of them, are publicly questioning whether anything will change next year if Mr. Johnson is left in charge of the House.

Part of the speaker’s survival hinges on whether lawmakers trust him to make good on a handshake agreement to tackle the debt limit in a legislative package next year. The proposal would increase the nation’s borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion, coupled with $2.5 trillion in spending cuts.

Rep. Chip Roy, who was singled out by Mr. Trump for “getting in the way” of his debt limit demand, lauded the progress made in getting steep spending cuts on the negotiating table next year. He wouldn’t predict whether Mr. Johnson will soon face the same fate as Mr.McCarthy.

“I’m not going to play those games with you guys,” Mr. Roy, Texas Republican, told reporters. 

Mr Johnson won the election to speaker after a handful of House Republicans pushed out GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. Republicans chose Mr. Johnson after several other GOP candidates failed to win enough votes.

Frustrated GOP lawmakers earlier this month floated possible replacements for Mr. Johnson, among them Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. 

All three ran to replace Mr. McCarthy when he was pushed out but couldn’t win enough GOP votes.

Mr. Musk’s name was thrown into the mix by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican. The House speaker does not have to be an elected representative.

“There’s never been a speaker of the House who’s not a member,” Rep. Mike Lawler, New York Republican, told The Times. “So, I don’t see that happening.”

House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris, who had at one point publicly backed Mr. Johnson despite his strong disdain for the 1,500-page spending bill that ended up in the trash, is now wavering on Mr. Johnson.

The Maryland Republican said since Mr. Trump was elected on Nov. 5, the GOP-led House has approved $300 billion in new spending that will add to the deficit.

“I am now undecided on what House leadership should look like in the 119th Congress,” Mr. Harris said. 

Outgoing Rep. Marc Molinaro, New York Republican, defended Mr. Johnson, arguing that it was hard to be speaker in a conference “that doesn’t always agree.”

“In fact, that’s the beauty of our conference,” Mr. Molinaro said. “We don’t always agree, but there’s always going to be these moments where somebody is going to where his ability to govern is always going to be challenged.”

Mr. Johnson’s future likely hinges in part on whether he can keep Mr. Trump’s support. 

“President Trump will have a lot to do with whether Speaker Johnson is Speaker Johnson,” Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee Republican, said. 

“If he picks up the phone, it’s hard to tell him no, I suspect, for a lot of people.”