With her campaign for the New York governorship officially underway, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is reasserting herself in Congress.
After months of keeping a lower profile while laying groundwork for a statewide run, Stefanik has burst back into the spotlight by taking direct aim at House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., challenging his leadership and pressing an agenda closely aligned with President Donald Trump's warnings about weaponized government and the need for accountability in Washington, The Hill reported.
Stefanik publicly accused Johnson of lying and "torpedoing" the GOP agenda after a provision she championed was poised to be left out of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.
Her provision would require Congress to be notified if a counterintelligence investigation is launched into a federal candidate — a safeguard Stefanik argues is necessary given the political fallout from "Crossfire Hurricane" — the FBI's probe into the since-debunked claims of Russian collusion with the 2016 Trump campaign — and other episodes Republicans cite as evidence of federal overreach.
Stefanik's offensive didn't stop there.
She also said she would sign a discharge petition to force a vote on a bill banning members of Congress and their immediate family from trading stock — a move that would bypass leadership and has generated unease inside the conference because Stefanik holds a leadership role herself.
Stefanik framed the stock-trading push as a bipartisan good-government measure, saying frustration over perceived self-dealing is widespread in both parties.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Stefanik went even further, calling Johnson a "political novice" and arguing he would lose the speakership if Republicans held a roll-call vote today.
"He certainly wouldn't have the votes to be Speaker if there was a roll-call vote tomorrow," Stefanik told the Journal, contending that dissatisfaction is deep and growing as Republicans head toward the midterm cycle.
Johnson, who has navigated razor-thin margins, publicly expressed surprise at Stefanik's broadside, saying she went public rather than bringing concerns to him first.
"I don't exactly know why Elise won't just call me," Johnson told reporters, while also attributing the dispute to a breakdown in communication.
He insisted he supports Stefanik's counterintelligence provision and wanted to resolve what he described as committee-level hurdles.
By Wednesday, after Stefanik said she held a "productive conversation" with Johnson and Trump, the tone softened.
Stefanik reported a "great breakthrough" and said her provision would be included in the defense bill, signaling a temporary truce while underscoring how much leverage a determined lawmaker can wield in a tight House majority.
The clash also carries clear political implications.
Stefanik is running in deep-blue New York, where taking on Washington dysfunction, and even challenging GOP leaders, can strengthen her outsider brand without breaking with Trump, the party's undisputed standard-bearer.
Stefanik is positioning herself as a fighter focused on affordability and public safety at home, while using her national platform to push reforms conservatives say are essential: protecting political targets from partisan investigations and ending the corruption taint of congressional stock trading.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.