(Washington, D.C.) Representative Jill Tokuda issued the following statement about the election of Speaker Mike Johnson:
“After three weeks of chaos and inaction and three unsuccessful nominees, Republicans chose to elect a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives with little experience in actual governance and a long record of dangerous and extreme far-right positions.
Speaker Johnson’s past words and actions have focused on criminalizing abortion nationwide, stripping away the rights of our LGBTQ+ community, and leading “stop the steal” claims to overturn the will of the people in the 2020 election that fueled the January 6th insurrection. He’s denied the existence of climate change and threatened our kūpuna by trying to slash Social Security and Medicare.
To be Speaker is about more than getting the required number of votes. It’s about exhibiting the leadership and courage to lead in a way that is representative and reflective of all people in this beautiful mosaic that is the United States. While Speaker Johnson’s past words and actions have reflected only the extreme views of the Republican Party, he will now be challenged and judged on his ability to be inclusive for the good of our people and our country. That’s going to take more than words. It will require action. Action on behalf of all of our people, inclusive of their identity and orientation, and decisions they have a right to make about their own bodies.
‘The time is late. The crisis is great.’ These are Speaker Johnson’s very words, and I agree. We must get back to work. Our constituents, our country, our global allies and partners, are counting on us to prevent a government shutdown and stop devastating budget cuts Republicans have been pushing for months that would hurt workers, children, families, and seniors. We must pass the President’s supplemental requests for funding to support our ability to defend ourselves and our allies, protect childcare for working families, and above all, secure the disaster relief and federal support Maui needs as continue down the long road to recovery. Our constituents demand and deserve nothing less.”
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