WASHINGTON — Ryan Mackenzie became the Lehigh Valley’s newest U.S. representative against a backdrop of palace intrigue Friday afternoon.
A beaming Mackenzie, a Republican from Lower Macungie Township, took the oath of office from the center aisle of the U.S. House chamber as his infant son Leo squirmed in his arms.
The day served as a celebration for the 42-year-old Mackenzie and other politicians who succeeded on the campaign trail last year.
The halls of Congress brimmed not only with tourists getting an up-close look at the Capitol but also the friends and families of elected officials from around the country.
Before the vote, Mackenzie led a tour of about two dozen Lehigh Valley residents, including his mother, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie, R-Lehigh; Lehigh County Republican Committee Chair Joe Vichot; and Northampton County Republican Committee Vice Chair Andrew Azan. Most of the group watched the proceedings on television from his office across the street.
“Now, it’s about governing. You heard from the minority leader and the speaker the desire for bipartisanship, working together on these issues where we can find agreement.”U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley
Mackenzie edged out Democratic incumbent Susan Wild by about 4,000 votes in the race for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District in November.
Both national parties devoted enormous resources to winning the district, one of the few battleground seats in the country. Campaign finance reports show it was one of the most expensive U.S. House races in the nation.
Becoming a member of Congress has been a longtime goal of Mackenzie’s; he first officially launched a congressional campaign in the summer of 2017 only to pull out following court-ordered redistricting.
Looking ahead
But during an interview in the Capitol Rotunda on Friday, Mackenzie focused more on the steps ahead than the path he took to get here.
“Now, it’s about governing. You heard from the minority leader and the speaker the desire for bipartisanship, working together on these issues where we can find agreement,” he said.
Mackenzie said he is committed to lowering costs for Americans, securing the border and establishing peace throughout the world. Also high on that list will be stabilizing America’s finances.
President-elect Donald Trump has called for removing the debt ceiling, a measure that limits federal spending but has proven to be a congressional stumbling block time and time again. Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown after an 11th-hour agreement passed, but it hasn’t done anything to address the $36.1 trillion of debt the federal government has racked up since 2001.
Mackenzie was noncommittal on the debt ceiling Friday, saying it would likely come up at a Republican Party conference Saturday.
“I think it’s pretty obvious to everybody here that the budgeting process here in Washington is totally broken," he said. "It’s led to trillions of dollars in debt and all of these continuing resolutions. I’m not saying I’m going to be able to change that, but it should be something that we’re looking to address."
Johnson defends his gavel
The high spirits were nearly soured by the high-stakes speaker vote. Republicans hold a narrow four-seat majority in the House, but several members of the party’s right flank were noncommital to Johnson heading into the day.
Off the bat, it appeared Congress would be in for a repeat of 2023. That year, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., twisted in the wind for days as arch-conservatives refused to back his bid for the gavel. Like McCarthy, Johnson had angered some far-right colleagues by relying on Democrats to fund the government.
Johnson could only afford two defections Friday, and the initial ballot saw Reps. Tom Massie, R-Ky., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Keith Self, R-Fla., cast votes for other members. Several members of the Freedom Caucus declined to cast a vote at all.
Ultimately, the silent members backed Johnson when called a second time. After a lengthy recess, Norman and Self amended their votes to Johnson before the first vote was formally closed.
Multiple outlets reported the two switched their votes after receiving calls from Trump during the break, and that Johnson committed to a more collaborative budget process.
“Working together, we have the potential to be one of the most consequential Congresses in the history of this great nation so long as we work together, we do the right thing and we put America first.”House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana
Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., each called for the new Congress to embrace a bipartisan approach, saying the House needed to work together to lower expenses and secure the border.
“Working together, we have the potential to be one of the most consequential Congresses in the history of this great nation so long as we work together, we do the right thing and we put America first,” Johnson said.
Johnson's victory paves the way for a smooth inauguration for Trump. Federal law requires the formal count of the Electoral College vote to take place Jan. 6 before a joint session of Congress.
Had the House failed to elect a speaker by then, that vote could not occur— the House cannot consider any other business until a speaker is in place.
