House Speaker Mike Johnson "very bullish" on GOP in midterms

CBS News

2 days ago

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News he's "absolutely convinced" Republicans will expand their narrow margin in the House in next year's midterms.
"I am very bullish on election night '26. I'm absolutely convinced we're going to grow the House majority," Johnson told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on Wednesday. "It's not groundless optimism. It's going to be the result of a lot of hard work."
Historically, the president's party almost always loses ground in the midterms right after a presidential race. The party that controls the White House has only managed to improve its edge in the House in a midterm election twice in the last 80 years, in 1998 and 2002. That trend is typically driven by backlash against the incumbent president — and over the last six months, President Trump's approval rating has slid from 53% to 42%, according to CBS News polling.
But Johnson said he believes his party has opportunities to go on offense, pointing to the 13 House Democrats who represent districts that Mr. Trump won in 2024, versus three Republicans whose districts went for former Vice President Kamala Harris. He also noted demographic shifts in the 2024 race, which saw Mr. Trump make gains with Black and Latino voters.
"I like those odds," Johnson said.
Johnson also said a controversial plan by Texas Republicans to redraw the state's congressional districts "probably inures to our benefit," though he also said, "the jury's still out on that one" and "we're still awaiting the outcome." Johnson told CBS News on Wednesday the state's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will "need to follow the law" and "be fair."
Johnson predicted voters will "feel the benefits" of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation extends trillions of dollars' worth of tax cuts, appropriates new funding for border security, and adds or expands work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.
Some 61% of U.S. adults disapprove of the law, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. Some 47% of Americans believe it will hurt them and their families, versus 28% who say it won't have much of an effect on their families and only 25% who say it will help them.
"I'm not surprised by those numbers, because they've gotten a steady diet of misinformation by most of the mainstream media and the Democrats," Johnson told CBS News.
He predicted that the bill will serve as "jet fuel" for the economy, and pointed to an estimate by House Republicans that its tax provisions could deliver as much as $13,300 in extra take-home pay to the typical family.
The White House's Council of Economic Advisers said in a report that a family with two children could see between $7,800 and $13,300 in additional take-home pay "in the long run" as a result of the bill.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found Americans from most income levels will see tax savings from the law next year, averaging $2,900 per household, though higher-income people will see a bigger impact. The group said $6 of every $10 in tax breaks will go to the top 20% of households, or people with incomes of about $217,000 or more.
Asked if voters will hold Republicans accountable in the midterms for the bill's promised tax benefits, Johnson said: "They'll see it, and they will vote accordingly."
Johnson also hailed a set of crypto bills that are moving through Congress. Last week, Mr. Trump signed into law the GENIUS Act, which creates a regulatory structure for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the value of an asset like the U.S. dollar. Another bill that would set broader rules for digital assets, the CLARITY Act, is still pending.
Johnson said of the crypto legislation: "It will spur on innovation and more investment. And I think it's going to be a big thing for the future."
Separately, when asked about the prospect of a government shutdown when funding runs out at the end of September, the House speaker said he has "no interest in a shutdown."
Johnson largely stood by Mr. Trump's trade strategy, as the president threatens dozens of countries with much higher tariffs unless they strike trade deals. He called Mr. Trump "the king of the art of the deal," and pointed to "unfair trade practices" by other countries.
Many economists warn that higher tariffs could lead to steeper consumer prices and slower economic growth — though Mr. Trump has defended the strategy.
"The sky was going to fall, everybody told us, and it hasn't," Johnson said.
He also said Congress has traditionally "given a lot of latitude to the executive" to negotiate trade deals, amid concern from some lawmakers that Congress should be involved in major tax policy rather than deferring to the president on tariffs.
And Johnson called allegations that House Republicans have been overly deferential to Mr. Trump "nonsense." He said he and Mr. Trump are "working as a unified government," but he discusses contentious issues with the president "behind the curtains."