Elise Stefanik Escalates Clash With Speaker Mike Johnson, Exposing Wider GOP Discord

Rep. Elise Stefanik has intensified an internal revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson, publicly accusing him of shielding the 'deep state,' calling him dishonest, and signing a discharge petition to force votes on measures he has refused to bring to the floor. Her actions underscore growing, public dissent within the House Republican Conference at a moment when Johnson’s narrow majority faces mounting tests.

What happened

This dispute began after Republican leaders dropped a proposal from the annual defense policy bill that would have required congressional notice when counterintelligence investigations target candidates for federal office. Stefanik took to X to air her objections, saying the leadership had torpedoed a key GOP priority, and she later added her name to a discharge petition initiated by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna seeking to force a vote on a ban on member stock trading.

'There’s a lot of frustration right now in the House with the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of this body in recent months,' Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said, reflecting a broader unease among rank-and-file Republicans about leadership decisions.

Johnson responded by urging a private resolution, saying he wished Stefanik had called him to discuss the omission. Stefanik replied publicly, accusing the speaker of lying and of repeatedly undermining the Republican agenda. The exchange — and Stefanik’s decision not to delete her posts — surprised many in Johnson’s circle and prompted outreach from the speaker’s staff to Stefanik’s team.

Wider fractures

Stefanik is not the only prominent Republican woman at odds with Johnson. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert helped push through a bill requiring release of Justice Department files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein — a measure Johnson failed to prevent. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s discharge petition and other procedural challenges from hard-line conservatives such as Rep. Chip Roy have further strained Johnson’s ability to manage the floor schedule.

Stefanik’s political calculus likely contributes to her posture: she stepped down from the No. 4 House GOP leadership post after being nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a nomination later withdrawn amid concerns about preserving the fragile House majority. She accepted an unelected junior leadership role and has since launched a campaign for New York governor, signaling she may be less constrained by intra-House considerations.

Some allies of the speaker dismiss these disputes as personal grievances. Others see them as symptoms of an increasingly public pattern of dissent that could complicate Johnson’s efforts to hold the conference together ahead of consequential special and midterm elections.

What to watch next: whether other senior Republicans, including House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, join Stefanik’s push or withhold support for must-pass bills; the outcome of a special election in Tennessee; and whether leadership and dissident members negotiate a private resolution or allow the conflicts to play out openly.