Mike Johnson was elected as the 56th speaker of the House Oct. 25 after the post remained unfilled for more than 20 days.
Mr. Johnson, who represents Louisiana's 4th District, has served in Congress since 2016.
Here are three things to know about his healthcare record:
1. Mr. Johnson has supported legislation that would restrict abortion. This includes supporting the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children From Late-Term Abortions Act, and the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2021, according to The Hill.
2. Mr. Johnson has also supported restrictions on medical interventions for transgender youth, according to The Wall Street Journal. "The so-called 'gender-affirming care' is anything but affirming and caring," he said during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, according to Politico. "This is adults deciding to permanently alter the bodies of children who do not have the capacity to make life-altering decisions on their own."
3. Mr. Johnson drafted the Republican Study Commission's 57-page healthcare plan in 2019 and its fiscal year 2020 budget in his role as chair of the group, according to The Hill. The healthcare plan, according to the publication, called for capping federal Medicaid funds and expanded health savings accounts. It also called for repealing many of the ACA's protections for people with preexisting conditions. Meanwhile, the 2020 budget called for raising the age of eligibility for Medicare and implementing a voucher program that beneficiaries could use to buy Medicare or private coverage.