Speaker Mike Johnson on “big beautiful bill,” trade war, American troops, and Social Security

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says a lot is riding on Republican success in Congress.

During a press conference, the Speaker of the House addressed nationwide concerns as well as ongoing efforts to pass President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” into law.

“If we don’t pass this bill, and we’re not successful in this mission, the American people will have the largest tax increase in U.S. history all at once, at the end of this year, because the Trump tax cuts from the first year will expire,” said Johnson. “We cannot allow that to happen. We have no margin for error.”

The bill has a domestic agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations, and a smaller federal government. Johnson addressed the ongoing trade war with China and tariffs.

“There’s as many as 100 countries around the world who are seeking to negotiate new, much more fair-trade agreements with America, and that will be mission accomplished,” Johnson said. “I think that ultimately was the objective here.”

However, Johnson says China has been an “unfair trading partner” for many years.

“They have stolen our intellectual property, they have really manipulated the relationship, and we should not forget that we really are their largest consumer market for their goods around the world,” said Johnson. “They need us. In some ways, we need some of the things they produce. It’s an important relationship. I hope that the president negotiates a good deal with China, I think he will, and I think that will happen in short order.”

Unrest in the Middle East was also a topic of discussion as President Trump ordered additional troops to Yemen. Johnson says the country will look to the president as Commander-in-Chief to bring back the principle of peace through strength.

“We are the last great superpower on the planet,” Johnson said. “China is working hard to be a peer-to-peer advisory for us, but for now, we are still the defenders for what is good and right and the defenders of freedom. Having our troops strategically placed there in Yemen, I think, is going to be a big part of us trying to stabilize that region and keep the peace and restore it in that area so we can have it in a lasting way.”

Mike Johnson then spoke on the future of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He says the Democratic Party has been on a “quest to mislead the American people.”

“I have made clear, the president has made clear, virtually every American in Congress has made clear, that we are not going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,” said Johnson. “Anyone who is a lawful beneficiary of those programs will continue to receive them. What we’re trying to do at the same time is root out fraud, waste, and abuse.”

However, the Speaker says that President Trump’s bill is an effort to cut spending and reduce the deficit. Speaker Johnson says they will preserve the programs people rely upon, while getting back on a sound fiscal trajectory.

Speaker Johnson says his party is working hard on the bill, and he does not believe any support will come from the Democratic party. He adds that he only has a three-vote margin with the Republican party.

“We will get the job done,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to try to get it done to the president’s desk for signature into law by Memorial Day,”

Johnson says the timeline is essential due to the approaching debt ceiling, which could happen as early as June.