Louisiana Politics: GOP freshman gets prestigious job

Congressman Mike Johnson of Shreveport might not be a name that’s in heavy circulation in local coffee houses and barrooms.
But the Republican is certainly a topic of conversation in Washington, D.C., these days thanks to his election as the new chairman of the Republican Study Committee — a notable feat for a first-term legislator.
The RSC is Congress’ largest gathering of conservatives that strives to craft policy and shape debates. It was formerly chaired by U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish, so the position is known as a stepping stone to bigger things on the Hill.
Johnson recently agreed to an interview with LaPolitics about his new position and happenings in Washington.
LaPolitics: You’re someone who has a keen interest in the nuts and bolts of policy, going back to your days in the Legislature and even earlier than that. How does this interest in policy fit into your new role as chairman of the Republican Study Committee?
Johnson: Well, let me just tell you what I have said to all my colleagues over the last few months as I campaigned for this position. I said that I really feel like in the 116th Congress, which starts in January, I think RSC will arguably have the most important moments in its history to provide a steady voice and what’s always been known as the intellectual firepower to defend and advance our core conservative principles. I think the American people need and deserve our clarity and our conviction and our consistency now more than ever. So my background in policy and law, in writing law and defending it in courts, advancing messaging for the conservative cause, I think all of that comes into play and will really come in handy in this position. ...
LaPolitics: Some of your predecessors in this new position have included Vice President Mike Pence, Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Congressman Jim Jordan and former DHS Secretary Tom Price. Have you heard from some of your predecessors and, if so, what kind of advice and insight have they been offering?
Johnson: I sought that out, of course. Many of those former chairmen are close friends and confidants of mine already. Jim Jordan is a very close friend of mine in Congress and, of course, Steve Scalise and I go back a quarter century. It’s good to have close friendships and advisors like that. I have already spent time with several of those guys, sort of grilling them on their thoughts and ideas. We’re entering unchartered waters in so many ways. It’s just a very unusual time in our national politics. You know, the culture is divided, our politics are divided and increasingly divisive. Of course, we’re moving into the minority position, so it changes the role of what we do, and in some ways the strategy about what we do as Republicans in the Congress. So it’s good to bounce ideas and thoughts by people like that. We’re all working on the same goals and it’s good to have close allies who have done it before, so that I don’t have to re-invent the wheel on everything.
LaPolitics: Two big-ticket items for Louisiana, the flood insurance extension and the Farm Bill, are on the table before the 115th Congress wraps up business. Are you confident that both of these measures will get resolved before the term ends?
Johnson: I certainly am. Obviously, it’s critically important to Louisiana that we get both of those items accomplished. You know, with the Farm Bill, the conferees from the House and Senate are currently debating discrepancies between the House and Senate bills still. I think it’s held up, on a couple of big provisions, primarily in the House bill. We added work requirements for SNAP benefits for able bodied adults. We’re trying to repeal the Waters of the U.S. legislation from the Obama Administration era. One of the hangups right now is the forestry regulation and wildfire prevention, which is a big issue. I think that the conferees will be able to work through those things and they’ll put together a final bill that meets all the criteria that all of us have demanded and fought for. With the flood insurance program ... we’ve been working on a long-term reauthorization and that’s desperately needed, because we have got to provide certainty for individuals who want to buy or sell or build a home or business. We filed in a bill in 2017, the SAFE Reauthorization Act, which would have given a long-term reauthorization of six years and protect policyholders from excessive rate hikes and the rest. So this is some important provisions, there is a lot of dialog, there is a lot of negotiations still going about the long-term fix, but I’m very confident that we will get a temporary reauthorization before Nov. 30 so nobody is left hanging on it.

They Said It: Twitter Edition
“I don’t think we should panic at all.”
—Economist Greg Albrecht, on falling oil prices, during the Revenue Estimating Conference meeting last week
“Hey, you were not supposed to leak the new state motto yet.”
—Fictional Twitter personality Gov. John Jel Jedwards, responding to Albrecht’s comment, via Twitter
“Twitter is run by Socialists.”
—3rd District Congressman Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, on social media censorship, via Twitter
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.