Johnson opened his remarks after being re-elected as House speaker by calling for a moment of silence to honor the victims affected by the terrorist attack in his home state of Louisiana on Wednesday.
He then laid out GOP priorities in the new Congress, in tandem with the Trump White House. Johnson emphasized that the Republicans’ goal is to implement an “America First” agenda.
“Sadly for the past four years of divided government, too many politicians in Washington have done the opposite. Open borders and over-regulation have destroyed our cities and stifled innovation,” he said. “Inflation and weak leadership have left Americans poorer and they have placed our country in a perilous position.”
Johnson said that Americans demand that officials put them first.
“It’s a coalition that insists that we purge the policies of America last and we bury them in the graveyard of history’s mistakes, because it was a big mistake,” he said.
The speaker said that the first issue to tackle is the nation’s borders.
“That’s the number one priority,” he said. “In coordination with President Trump, this Congress will give our border and immigration enforcement agents the resources that they need to do their job, we will secure the border, we will deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens, and finally finish building the border wall.”
Johnson said that Republicans will also provide relief to Americans by extending the Trump tax cuts.