Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Friday accused House Speaker Mike Johnson of hiding behind his Christian faith, ahead of the Republican’s March for Life speech.
“Before speaking at the March for Life, Speaker Johnson should ask himself: What is ‘pro-life’ about funding a government complicit in the largest human smuggling project in human history? What is ‘pro-life’ about letting America’s population be systematically replaced?” Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Speaker Johnson is hiding behind his Christian faith, but Christians are called to be courageous, and Johnson hasn’t shown one ounce of courage since being elevated to power. Instead, he’s been Chuck Schumer’s boy toy. He should resign.”
The remarks by Kirk come as Johnson, who became speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, has faced criticism from House Republicans over a congressional funding deal that was passed in the House this week.
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Johnson delivered a speech at the 51st annual March for Life on Friday and expressed his views against abortion, saying, “I am myself the product of an unplanned pregnancy….In January of 1972, exactly one year before Roe v. Wade, my parents, who were just teenagers at the time, chose life, and I am very profoundly grateful that they did.”
On Thursday, the House passed a temporary government funding bill to avoid a shutdown, but many Republicans opposed the legislation. During the vote, 106 Republicans voted against the deal, which is 13 more than for a similar funding bill in November.
“There was 100 percent consensus in the room with everyone that was meeting with the speaker that the deal is terrible for the country and terrible for the Republican conference,” Republican Representative Bob Good said last week prior to the vote.
Johnson faced widespread criticism, with the House Freedom Caucus saying, “The @HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing [former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi levels with [President Joe] Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies. This is what surrender looks like.”
Republican Representative Matt Rosendale said on X that he would not be voting for the bill and wrote: “We MUST start acting on our constitutional duties instead of caving to the special interests of the D.C. Cartel.”
Kirk also slammed Johnson ahead of the funding vote, calling the House speaker a “fraud” and saying, “You start shaking like a leaf when you get in a room with Chuck Schumer.”
Johnson has also faced criticism from Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told Axios this week that she would “introduce the motion to vacate,” Johnson from his role as speaker if he attempted to pass a bill for funding to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office via email for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.