Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended President Trump’s executive actions Wednesday, saying there has been “a gross overreaction in the media” to what the president’s been doing.
Democrats and their allies in the media have accused Trump of violating Article 1 of the Constitution, which affirms that laws are passed through their elected representatives in Congress.
“I’m a fierce advocate and defender of Article 1,” Johnson told reporters during a press conference on Capitol Hill. “There’s a reason the Founding Fathers put the legislative branch as the first article in the Constitution, and we’re going to vigorously defend that.”
The speaker argued however that it is well within the scope of the president’s authority to examine how executive branch agencies are spending taxpayer dollars.
“The Executive Branch in our system has the right to evaluate how executive branch agencies are operating and to ensure that not only the intent of Congress in funding mechanisms but also the stewardship of precious American taxpayer dollars are being handled well,” Johnson explained.
“That’s what they’re doing by putting a pause on some of these agencies and evaluating them by doing these internal audits,” he continued. “That is a long overdue, much welcome development. That’s what the American people demand and deserve.”
Johnson added: “We see this as an active, engaged, committed executive branch authority doing what the executive branch should do,” he said. “When Congress funds an agency, they give broad discretion to the executive branch. It looks radical. It’s not. I call it stewardship.”
Johnson also gave a partial endorsement to Trump’s plan to take control of Gaza.
“We’re trying to get the details of it,” he told a reporter. “But I think this is a good development. We have to back Israel 100 percent and so any form that takes, we’re interested in having that discussion. It was a surprising development, but I think it’s one that we’ll applaud.”
House Democrats vowed in their own press conference moments later that they would use all the tools available to the minority to thwart the president’s agenda.
“The Constitution is pretty clear both on spending as well as the role of Congress,” Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) told reporters after the GOP’s presser had concluded. “Speaker Johnson and [Senate] Leader [John] Thune are in a rush to deliver as much as they can for President Trump. That’s who they answer to — not their constituents. We see that in everything they do, from deadlines to bills.”
The Democrats indicated that they intend to use lawfare, among other strategies, to fight the Trump administration.
“Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries has laid out a ten-point plan to fight back against the lawless actions of the Trump administration, said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), vice chair of the House Democrat Caucus. “That plan has three themes. There’s going to be a legislative strategy, a mobilization strategy, and a litigation strategy,” Lieu told reporters. “To that end, over 25 lawsuits have already been filed.”
By “mobilization strategy,” Lieu meant that Democrats would, as usual, be spinning up various left-wing organizations to take to the streets in protest. This strategy was on display earlier this week when Democrats organized a protest over DOGE Chief Elon Musk’s cuts to USAID. Organized left-wing protests also took place in multiple cities nationwide Wednesday.
“We’re going to fight it [Trump’s agenda] legislatively, we’re gonna fight it in the courts, and we’re going to fight it in the streets,” Jeffries told reporters last week.
Vice President JD Lance hit back hard at Jeffries’ fighting words in an interview on Fox News, Monday.
“These people remind me sometimes of the folks that were still fighting World War Two in an isolated island like 30 years later,” Vance told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.
“The American people have spoken. They are sick of the ridiculous performative politics,” he declared. “For Hakeem Jeffries to go out and say that you need to fight in the streets, it’s dangerous. It’s disgraceful rhetoric. And it’s not at all what the American people ask.”
Vance added: “Do you want a congressional Democratic leadership that fights in the streets or that makes your life better?”
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