Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, elected Wednesday as speaker of the House, brings a defense-focused background to the role as a member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee.
In that seat, he’s advocated for a larger defense budget and sought wins on social issues that affect the military. However, like many other conservative Republicans, he’s hostile to additional funding for Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Johnson, who sits on the Readiness and Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittees, believes that “adequate investment is necessary” to maintain U.S. air, land, sea, nuclear and cyber power, according to his website. Last year, he slammed the Biden administration’s fiscal 2023 budget proposal for, in his view, not requesting a defense budget increase large enough to match rising inflation.
