WASHINGTON, D.C. - Maryland U.S. Representative Andy Harris, who serves the first congressional district comprising of the entire Eastern Shore seems to be flexing his political muscle ahead of House Speaker elections in the new year.
Harris, chair of the influential House Freedom Caucus suggested there will be a decision amongst House Republicans as to whether they continue on with Speaker Mike Johnson, or find a new leader. Speaking with Fox Business on Thursday, Harris said "we reconvene on
we obviously have a lot of important things to do in January, but we do need to consider whether if we're going to advance Mr. Trump's agenda, whether the current leadership is what we need."
Harris told WBOC on Friday he's not satisfied with recent spending: "Since President Trump's historic election to bring down spending, deficits, and inflation, the "Republican"-led House has INITIATED $300 billion in unpaid for new spending, without event ATTEMPTING offsets to prevent skyrocketing the deficit and debt."
He continued "Future generations deserve better. I am now undecided on what House leadership should look like in the 119th Congress," he continued.
Harris was recently re-elected as Chair of the House Freedom Caucus. With its 38 members, the caucus has the ability to easily tank legislation and other initiatives, like candidacies for Speaker. The Caucus was instrumental in killing Kevin McCarthy's speakership, which ushered in four rounds of voting resulting in Johnson's ascent from relative political obscurity to one of the most powerful jobs in Washington.
Johnson has drawn ire from staunch conservatives over his handling of a recent government funding debate. Johnson has signaled a strong commitment to advancing President-elect Trump's agenda. No other Republicans have publicly declared their candidacy for Speaker.