Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) issued the following statement on the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
The speaker position has been vacant since Oct. 3, when former speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position.
The statement from Rep. Kelly, who represents Homewood and Flossmoor in Congress, follows.
“Rep. Mike Johnson wants to criminalize abortion, gut Social Security and Medicare, and was a chief architect of the attempt to subvert our democracy in 2020.
“I will work with my House Democratic colleagues to push back against these extreme views and continue our work delivering for the American people.
“I am committed to solving our nation’s greatest challenges, and I hope that Rep. Johnson will abandon extremism and work with Democrats to deliver real solutions for the American people.
“The people of the Illinois Second Congressional District are my first priority, no matter who is the Speaker of the House.”