What can we expect from the new US House Speaker Mike Johnson?

Last week, after three weeks of Republicans trying to select a House speaker following the sudden, unprecedented ouster of Kevin McCarthy, the chamber's majority party finally chose Mike Johnson, a relative unknown from Louisiana.

House Speaker is one of the most important positions in the US government, not only because the person sets the legislative agenda but also because the speaker is second in line to succeed the president, after the vice president.

Though his name has not been high profile, his politics are closely aligned with the far right of his party, including denial of the 2020 election results.

Theologically, however, he appears to be even further to the right, as an evangelical Christian who once said that his 2020 visit to Jerusalem's Temple Mount was "the fulfilment of a biblical prophecy".

It is unclear why he was chosen from relative obscurity to become the new speaker. However, it comes at a time when there is a significant push for increased US funding for Israel amid its ongoing assault on Gaza following Hamas's 7 October surprise attack on Israel.

The new speaker's first order of business was a pro-Israel resolution, which Johnson described as overdue. 

"The first bill I'm going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel, and we are overdue in getting that done," Johnson said as he accepted the speakership.

The resolution was passed with 412 to 10, with six members voting "present". Nine of the ten No votes and all six of those who voted present were Democrats. Most of those who opposed the resolution, the chamber's most progressive Democrats, said it was because it didn't address Palestinian lives. In contrast, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, the lone Republican who opposed the move, said he did so due to the orders of sanctions and foreign aid, reasoning that the resolution was putting other countries ahead of the US.

The next order of business will be far more substantial. President Joe Biden has asked for $14 billion in emergency military aid to Israel. For context, the aid that the US sends annually to Israel totals just under $4 billion (with around a billion extra set aside for funding the Iron Dome).

House Republicans have already proposed a bill that would take billions from the Internal Revenue Service for the use of foreign aid, a move that Biden has said he would veto. Four House members have signed a bipartisan letter to Johnson urging him not to split the aid and take it from the IRS, according to a report by Jewish Insider, a sign that Johnson will not easily pass the aid bill in the form he proposed.

Regarding the bill passing, there doesn't appear to be any question that the massive aid package to Israel will pass in one form or another.

"The Israel funding bill is likely to pass, with the primary focus being on shaping the specifics of the aid package and its priorities rather than debating the fundamental question of whether to assist," Anwar Mhajne, assistant professor of political science at Stonehill College, told The New Arab.

"However, the House speaker's stance in support of Israel and the potential for censuring progressive members like Rashida Tlaib may give rise to internal tensions that could divert attention from crucial negotiations and compromises with fellow Democrats on pressing policy matters." 

Another item on Johnson's agenda could be to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan for her remarks in support of Palestinians following Israel's response to the 7 October Hamas attacks. The measure, proposed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, however, has already faced opposition by some members of her own Republican party on free speech grounds as well as Greene's inaccurate claim that Tlaib has endorsed Hamas.

On the domestic front, many Americans are concerned about Johnson's extreme religious views, which have extended to his social views. Recently, when asked by reporters about his positions on a range of issues, he suggested that they go pick up a bible.

Before serving in Congress, Johnson was once the dean of a Christian law school that never opened its doors. He has been an advocate for criminalising homosexual acts and has supported anti-sodomy laws. He has also been a supporter of covenant marriage, making it difficult for the parties to divorce, unlike in no-fault divorce. His wife, Kelly, has been running a counselling service whose website (which went offline over the weekend) compared being gay with practising incest and bestiality. 

"I'm not sure there will be broad support for him. His positions on a range of social issues are way too extreme. He's not just an ideological conservative. He grounds it all in ideological thinking," James Zogby, pollster and president and founder of the Arab American Institute, told TNA.

"A hundred billion for Israel and Ukraine is way too much," he said, referring to the total aid package proposal. "I question the political wisdom of Biden even doing it. I'm not sure most Democrats want to spend that kind of money on these issues right now."

As for Johnson, Zogby said, "He wants the Israel money because he is the kind of right-wing evangelical fulfilling the promise of God."

He added, "It's anyone's guess where this guy goes. He's not ready for speakership or ready to make compromises."