Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said President Donald Trump has accomplished more in the first 100 days of his tenure than ‘most politicians or presidents accomplish in their entire lifetimes.’
The top House Republican said this first period of a new GOP trifecta in government has been a ‘flurry of activity’ used to set the stage for the party’s plans to pass a massive piece of legislation setting up Trump’s priorities on defense, taxes, energy and the border.
‘o much of what we’ve done is leading up to the big reconciliation bill, and that is the legislative vehicle, as I’ve explained to people, it will help us, through which we will deliver the president’s America First agenda,’ Johnson told Fox News Digital.
‘We’ve done it with arguably the smallest margin in the history of the Congress, so challenges every day, but it’s been very rewarding to lead us through that.’
He noted that Trump and Congress had worked together on passing the Laken Riley Act, and on keeping transgender women out of biological women’s spaces.
But the speaker also acknowledged that Trump has acted quite a bit on his own, as well.
‘He’s issued, I think, 110 executive orders and many other executive actions. And we’ve been working to codify so much of that. It’s been kind of a partnership,’ Johnson said.
But not everyone views it as equal. Democrats have accused Republicans of acquiescing power to Trump on issues ranging from tariffs to government funding.
‘I don’t think we’ve ceded any authority. I think that he’s doing what is within his scope to do. There’s an assumption made by Congress that the administration, whoever is in the administration, will use the money that is appropriated to the executive branch as a good steward, that they will take every measure possible to prevent fraud, waste and abuse,’ Johnson said.
‘And tariffs as well – the president, whomever is president, has a responsibility and I think an expectation from Congress that they will deal with unfair trade partners around the globe.’
He also pointed out that a significant number of Trump’s orders have targeted Biden administration actions or policies that were similarly enacted without Congress.
‘I don’t think the president has engaged in executive overreach,’ Johnson said. ‘So much of what he’s done by executive order is reversing executive orders of his predecessor. So, it looks like he’s doing a lot, but he’s unwinding the damage done by the previous occupant of the Oval Office. So, he certainly has latitude to do that.’
But Johnson, a former constitutional law attorney who styled himself ‘a jealous guardian of Article I,’ vowed he would raise his concerns with Trump if he ever felt Congress’ power was being infringed.
‘I don’t think he’s crossed the line yet. If he does, or if he did, you know, I would address it with him personally as a concern, as a partner, and explain that I think it’s been overdone,’ he said.