Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) released the following statement regarding the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04) as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“While I am grateful that House Republicans have finally ended their stalemate and selected a new House Speaker, I am gravely disappointed that my colleagues across the aisle have rejected our calls for bipartisanship and empowered yet another MAGA extremist.

“I have very serious concerns about Mike Johnson’s record, namely his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his hostility toward our hard-fought rights and freedoms, and his work to slash Social Security and Medicare.

“I will work with Speaker Johnson where we can agree but make no mistake; when it comes to protecting our democracy, our freedoms, and the programs that Americans rely on, I will not back down.”