Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he’s still not a firm “yes” on voting for Mike Johnson for speaker, saying he wants a “specific plan” from the Louisiana Republican about how he plans to lead the chamber's effort to rein in spending.
McCormick made the comments in an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill” on Monday. McCormick is one of roughly a dozen House Republicans who are noncommittal about voting to reelect Johnson for speaker on Friday.
McCormick said he “most likely” will vote for Johnson but he wants to hear from the speaker.
“And what that means is we want reassurances,” McCormick said. “I’m not really sure we’re taking the debt seriously. I’m not really sure we’re doing the right things.”
House conservatives are still reeling from the stopgap funding bill passed two weeks ago, led by Johnson, that added hundreds of billions in new spending without offsets and cuts. McCormick told Newsmax on Dec. 19 that the House under Johnson’s leadership hasn’t “done anything to fix the spending problem we have.”
McCormick’s Monday comments mirror those of House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., who told Newsmax on Monday night that he, too, is undecided about voting for Johnson over the debacle passing the continuing resolution.
"I will tell him that he has to make some changes in ... how we are dealing with things in the House," Harris told Newsmax, "or we might need new leadership."
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has been vocal and adamant that he will not vote for Johnson. And with a 219-215 majority, Johnson can't afford any more defections in addition to Massie.
McCormick is one that needs to be convinced.
“I want a specific plan. When we talk about what we are going to make our cuts, how are we going to save this nation from bankruptcy?” McCormick told NewsNation. “I just don’t think we have a plan.”
He added, “I need to see exact plans, what we’re going to do, how we’re going to tackle this, so that I know that we’re going to actually have something that’s not going to be passed because 100% of Democrats vote for it.”
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.