Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Nov 29, 2025, 7:01 AM ET

House Speaker Mike Johnson already had one of the toughest jobs in Washington: controlling an unruly GOP conference, with its razor-thin majority on the line next November.

Now, with tensions sharply rising inside the Capitol over party infighting and a new focus on partisan floor attacks, it's about to get worse.

When the House returns from its Thanksgiving recess, the GOP speaker will face a chamber in chaos. He and his team have struggled to maintain control of the floor in recent weeks, as made clear by the recent unsanctioned push from rank-and-file members to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. But that's not the end of it: Members of both parties are increasingly feeling emboldened to buck party leadership, forcing votes on personal priorities, including a spate of recent votes to punish fellow lawmakers.

"I would like us to get back to normal Congress," Johnson said recently as he left the Capitol for Thanksgiving, acknowledging the censure wars that have roiled the chamber.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/29/politics/house-republican-chaos-congress