‘Moderate’ House Republicans promise it will be different this time

There’s an awful lot of tough talk coming from the self-described moderate Republicans, including those “Biden 18” first-termers, about how it’s going to be different now under a new speaker. Because, they say, they were responsible for Speaker Mike Johnson.

“We have to speak up,” Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon said to Punchbowl News. “We’re a strong voice as majority makers. Now’s the time to express it with a new speaker.” Right, they’re the majority makers.

“If the conservative majority starts to feed us things that are socially conservative and messaging bills that we don’t want to sign on to, well, then they’ll get some pushback,” Rep. John Duarte said. Their track record on that front argues otherwise.