Jim Banks accuses Speaker Johnson of giving gavel to Democrats after passage of Ukraine aid

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said Saturday to Breitbart News that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has effectively “handed the Speaker’s gavel over to the Democrats” by leading the passage of a Ukraine aid bill without first securing the U.S. southern border.

“Mike Johnson has handed the speaker’s gavel over to the Democrats and said here, you guys take control. I mean, that’s there’s no other explanation for it," he said.

Banks pointed out that more Democrats voted for the bill to get out of committee and go to a full vote than Republicans, about 55 of whom voted against it.

"The fact of the matter is, he’s turned the majority over to the Democrats and at this point I don’t know the difference between Nancy Pelosi and Speaker Mike Johnson. I mean, nothing, nothing that this guy has done is any better than what Nancy Pelosi did. So it’s deeply disappointing,” he said.

Banks wants to see the entire current Republican leadership "go" after the 2024 election. He recognizes the difficulty of ousting Johnson now, given that Republicans only have a one-seat majority in the House.

If Republicans don't stop fighting amongst themselves publicly, they risk losing the majority entirely in November.