Republican lawmakers kept their promises to voters in 2025 despite the slimmest of congressional majorities and historic obstruction from Democrats, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a year-end opinion column.
Johnson, R-La., used his Sunday column in The Wall Street Journal to highlight what he called a sweeping slate of conservative wins on taxes, border security, and affordability.
Johnson pointed to a late-year vote in which 211 House Democrats opposed the GOP-backed Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, legislation Republicans say would reduce premiums while expanding access.
Johnson noted the irony that Democrats once pushed similar reforms during President Donald Trump's first term but now reject them, he wrote, because their leadership would rather preserve campaign issues than solve problems.
The bill does what its title claims, Johnson said, and outside budget analysts back up the central claim.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the measure would lower gross benchmark premiums by 11% on average while reducing the deficit by $35.6 billion over the next decade.
Johnson argued Democrats' modern playbook remains "more government, higher taxes and costly bailouts" and he blamed those policies for higher health costs and what he described as growing fraud in public programs.
He contrasted that with Republican efforts to tackle costs by removing barriers and expanding competition — a market-based approach conservatives have long championed.
Beyond healthcare, Johnson said House Republicans delivered "one of the most productive first years of any Congress," citing the passage of 441 bills and votes to codify 70 Trump America First executive orders.
He also highlighted efforts to repeal Biden-era regulations through the Congressional Review Act and to claw back federal spending through rescissions — priorities that align with broader conservative calls to rein in bureaucracy and restore fiscal discipline.
Johnson's centerpiece accomplishment was the Working Families Tax Cuts package, signed into law on July 4, which he said delivered the bulk of the Republican economic agenda in one bill.
Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act included tax exclusions for tips and overtime, senior relief, an expanded child tax credit, and tax-free savings accounts for newborns.
The White House touted the law as producing "$10,000+ more in annual take-home pay" for families.
Treasury officials and outside tax analysts have also predicted many households could see larger refunds as the law's provisions are reflected in filings, with some reports estimating refunds in the $1,000 to $2,000 range for many families, the New York Post reported.
Johnson paired the tax agenda with what he called a "generational investment" in border security and reforms to Medicaid and SNAP to restore integrity by removing illegal aliens and adding work requirements for able-bodied adults .
On inflation, Johnson argued Americans suffered through a cumulative price spike under President Joe Biden, but said conditions are beginning to cool.
Recent federal data showed the Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% over the 12 months ended in November, while core inflation was 2.6% — evidence, Republicans say, that a course correction was underway.
Johnson closed by saying the benefits of conservative governance will become increasingly visible heading into 2026, with "refunds reaching bank accounts, factories breaking ground," and an economy rebuilt on what he called common-sense policies.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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