The world is watching the Speaker of the US House

Republican Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, is under pressure. He has to make a choice about US support for Ukraine. 'Will he form a majority with Democrats who could lose his office and his political career? Or will he continue to push for a solution within his own party, which is too difficult?', says American Koen Petersen in BNR De Wereld.

According to Petersen, Johnson now realizes that his actions on this issue could have a major impact on the outcome of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Listen to an episode of BNR De Wereld here

Approving aid to Ukraine is a critical issue in the United States. A radical movement within the party, the 'Maka' Republican Party, is against this. They don't want the money to go to Ukraine, but to stay in America. America has its own problems, they say. There is also talk of corruption in Ukraine. Postma also sees some understanding among them of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many of them see the war as a 'losing war', a 'bottomless pit'.

Postma believes that Johnson cannot take any risks at the moment when it comes to choosing Ukrainian support. For example, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the 'MAGA' Republican Party, was outraged that Johnson was prevented from working with Democrats. shutdown. Shutdown of Central Govt. He has sent a letter to his colleagues regarding this. Taylor Greene wants to remove Johnson as chairman.

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There doesn't seem to be a majority to oust Johnson yet, Postma believes. No one wants a repeat of the chaos that happened last time when the House was at a standstill while waiting for a new leader. Even Democrats won't vote for Johnson for that reason.

American bias

According to Peterson, the current situation shows how much the entire world still depends on American decision-making. Nowadays, people often talk about America's declining role on the world stage. “But in this conflict, with all its ramifications, America is still seen as a major player,” says Peterson.