U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson now represents all of St. Landry Parish and on Monday he held a town hall in Opelousas where constituents could learn a bit about him.
And, maybe he learned something about the people he represents.
Johnson’s 4th Congressional District had included the Eunice area and little else of St. Landry Parish.
At Monday’s town hall in the Delta Grand Theatre, Johnson mainly spoke during the hour long session about his brand of Republican conservatism to what seemed to be a receptive audience.
Johnson called the town hall his “first big one in St. Landry.”
Johnson was first elected to U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10, 2016, and has steadily risen in the Republican leadership ranks.
Greg Hilburn, a political reporter for the USA Today network, stated in an analysis this week, “Johnson has continued his rapid rise on the Republican leadership ladder in the new Congress.”
Johnson is vice chairman of the Republican Conference, and chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government of the Judiciary Committee.
Johnson serves on the House Armed Services Committee where he looks out for the interests of Barksdale Air Force Base and Fort Polk. Both military installations are in his district that sprawls across 16 parishes from the Arkansas line south to St. Landry Parish.
Hilburn noted Louisiana House and Senate delegation is a powerful one.
Hilburn quoted Johnson as saying, “We’re punching way above our weight.”
Rep. Steve Scalise, who represents the 1st Congressional District, is House Majority Leader. The position is second only to the House Speaker Rev. Kevin McCarthy.
Johnson noted St. Landry Parish has been divided in its representation in Congress, but now is united.
Many of his new constituents probably recognized him from seeing him on TV news during the week long deliberations for the House Majority position.
“As crazy as that whole process was we had not had a long drawn out contest like that for speaker of the House for a 100 years,” he said. “It was painful frankly to be in the middle.”
But Johnson said the Republican control of the House is being used to reform procedures.
For years power was consolidated in Congress with only a few people making the decisions, he said.
Last year, a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill of about 4,000 pages was presented to House members about 36 hours before a vote and there was no way to digest its content, he said.
Now, a bill must be a single issue with a route through Congress that allows for amendments and committee votes, he said.
“I’m really delighted by that. It makes me feel better about the job because I can be responsive to the people I represent,” he said.
The process is similar to what is used by the Louisiana Legislature where he served one term before being elected to Congress, he said.
The procedure also slows down the process, he said. “We are spending way too much money. Government is too big. It doesn’t do anything well except the military,” he said
Tax increase must pass by a two-thirds vote now instead of a simple majority, he said. “That’s good news in a difficult economy.”
After the town hall, Johnson was to meet with parish mayors.
