New Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is under fire from the press for apparently making a crude remark about his wife in his opening speech. In odd comments, the Speaker said his wife had spent the past few weeks on her knees in prayer, and she was worn out. He added that he did not expect to become Speaker, and his wife couldn’t get a flight to help him celebrate as it happened so suddenly, leaving people to wonder what his wife had been praying about.
Johnson married his wife Kelly in 1999, and they have four children together. Kelly Johnson is a teacher and graduate of Louisiana Tech University, where she majored in elementary school education. A licensed counselor, she works in pastoral care at the Onward Christian Counseling Services in the Pelican State. She is also the director of the anti-abortion Right to Life organization there.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have what is known as a “covenant marriage.” Such marriages are legal in Louisiana and allow couples to opt into an arrangement that makes divorcing harder. Speaker Johnson said he wanted a covenant marriage because his parents divorced when he was young, shaping his view of marriage, which he believes should last a lifetime.
The Louisiana Congressman and surprise Speaker introduced his first bill on October 30; it provides $14.3 billion in aid to Israel. Johnson, who voted against support for Ukraine before becoming Speaker, said he wants to separate the two nations and rejects President Biden’s proposal to pass a combined aid package worth $106 billion. Johnson said he wants more accountability for the money sent to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed confidence that the US will continue to provide funding as his country’s war against Russia rages. “At the moment, we have every reason to believe that there are votes in the US House of Representatives for the bill providing Ukraine with additional support,” he said.
