House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing rising tensions with Republican women in Congress.
In recent weeks, a number of female GOP lawmakers have openly challenged Johnson’s leadership, pushing back on legislation and airing criticisms in public, including members of his own leadership team.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna was among them, this week taking aim at Johnson by filing a discharge petition that would force a floor vote on a congressional stock trading ban.
Highlights
- House Speaker Mike Johnson faces public challenges from Republican women over leadership and legislative decisions.
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna filed a discharge petition to force a vote on banning congressional stock trading.
- Rep. Elise Stefanik says Johnson lacks support to remain speaker and pushes for FBI disclosure in defense bill.
- GOP women lawmakers say they are marginalized and undercut under Johnson, risking fewer female Republicans in Congress.
Mike Johnson is experiencing tension with several GOP women in the House
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On X, she said she was “pissed” that leadership had not acted faster, though she also made clear, “I like Mike.”
“Political games have already started to play out behind the scenes. I’m not waiting any longer,” Luna added in a press release.
“A discharge petition is the strongest tool we have to guarantee a vote on behalf of the American people and it exists for moments exactly like this.”
Adding to the tension was Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Leadership, who not only joined Luna’s petition but also criticized Johnson publicly over a separate issue in the national defense bill.
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Stefanik, who is running for New York Governor in 2026, told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that Johnson was losing control of the party.
“He certainly wouldn’t have the votes to be speaker if there was a roll-call vote tomorrow,” she said.
“I believe that the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership. It’s that widespread.”
The comments came as Stefanik was pushing for a provision to be added to the annual defense-authorization bill that would require the FBI to notify Congress if it is investigating a presidential candidate or others running for federal office.
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In a post on X on Wednesday, Stefanik confirmed that provision would be included after a “productive discussion” with President Donald Trump and Johnson.
“This is a significant legislative win delivered against the illegal weaponization of the deep state,” she wrote.
For his part, Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he was confused over Stefanik’s public criticism and wasn’t aware of issues until she complained.
“I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me,” he said. “This wasn’t even on my radar.”
GOP women claim that Johnson has overlooked them
When asked about concerns that his control of the party is slipping, Johnson on Wednesday said that he was “not worried.”
“There’s 220 or so people in this conference and lots of different opinions,” he told reporters, as per NBC News.
“Everybody’s not delighted with every decision every day, but that’s Congress.”
The tensions come as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently announced her resignation from Congress amid tensions with Trump, said GOP women have been “marginalized.”
In an interview with The Washington Post, Greene detailed her disagreements with Johnson and said strong women, including herself and Stefanik, were being punished.
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“Whereas President Trump has a very strong, dominant style—he’s not weak at all—a lot of the men here in the House are weak,” Greene said.
“There’s a lot of weak Republican men and they’re more afraid of strong Republican women. So they always try to marginalize the strong Republican women that actually want to do something and actually want to achieve.”
She added, “They’re always intimidated by stronger Republican women because we mean it and we will do it and we will make them look bad.”
Greene further told the outlet that women under Johnson’s leadership have been pushed aside.
In the House, which is under narrow GOP control, just one woman serves as a chair of a committee and only three are in leadership, compared to five women chairing Democratic committees.
Greene’s comments were echoed by two female Republicans serving in the House, who anonymously told NBC News that Johnson did not take them as seriously as men.
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“It’s a sea change—for the worse. And it’s one of the many reasons that numerous House Republican women are running for higher office,” one said as she accused Johnson of “undercutting” some GOP women.
“I’m concerned there will be less Republicans in Congress, period, next year, and certainly that means there will be less Republican women.”
The second woman added, “We aren’t taken seriously. You have women who are very accomplished, very successful, who have earned the merit, who aren’t given the time of the day.”
Several prominent Republican women are now exploring other career options, with some considering retirement or early departures from Congress.
Johnson has said he strongly supports women
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The trend has sparked concern that the number of GOP women in the House could shrink in the next session.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Johnson told NBC News that he strongly supports women and has elevated them in leadership.
“Not only has Speaker Johnson elevated women in leadership, he has also helped recruit and support women running for office,” the spokesman said.
“This cycle, we have women running in 10 of the top districts we are watching. Our team is in touch with them and others across the country—just as we were in 2024—as Speaker Johnson works to recruit strong conservatives who can win, help us grow our majority, and help us deliver on our agenda.”