WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson used a Friday morning appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America to address a wide range of political flashpoints as Congress prepares to return from its August recess. From the turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the push for transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein files, and from school shootings to the defense of President Donald Trump’s tax package, Johnson struck a balancing act between loyalty to the administration and cautious messaging for a divided public.
On the CDC shakeup
Johnson offered full support for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has faced intense scrutiny after firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, triggering a mass exodus at the agency.
“There’s been a shakeup that’s been needed there, and I think we’ve got to trust the secretary to do his job,” Johnson said. “We’re getting America healthy again — that’s well received across the country, and long overdue.”
Pressed on whether Americans can still trust the CDC after the leadership turmoil, Johnson said the agency remained essential: “The CDC plays an important role in the government and in our society. We want it to be strong and restored to its original intent.”
On the Epstein files
The House Speaker was also asked about bipartisan efforts to force the Justice Department to release the complete Epstein files. Lawmakers, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), have been gathering signatures for a discharge petition to compel a floor vote.
Johnson said he believed recent document handovers from DOJ to the House Oversight Committee might make a vote unnecessary. “I think what’s happened over August has probably mooted that — the necessity of legislation,” Johnson said. Still, he added, “If it’s necessary, we will” hold a vote.
Khanna has criticized the DOJ’s disclosures, calling them incomplete and largely recycled from publicly available material.
On the Minneapolis school shooting
Turning to the tragic school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 18 others wounded, Johnson said he was open to bipartisan talks on safety but stopped short of backing specific new gun laws.
“It’s important that politicians on either side of the aisle do not politicize a moment like this,” Johnson said. “There are commonsense measures that can protect children at schools and churches that do not involve taking away constitutional rights.” He emphasized mental health treatment as a priority, saying: “At the end of the day, the problems in these situations is not the guns, it’s the human heart.”
On Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”
Finally, Johnson defended President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending legislation, nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Though polling shows only three in 10 Americans support it, Johnson argued that individual provisions are far more popular when explained.
“What we did over the August district work period is talk with the American people about the extraordinary provisions that are in this bill,” Johnson said. “It is aptly named. It is big and it is beautiful, and every single American is going to benefit from it.”
Looking ahead
As lawmakers return to Washington next week, Johnson faces pressure on multiple fronts: to reassure Americans about health leadership, to manage bipartisan demands for transparency on Epstein, to respond to renewed calls for action on gun violence, and to defend Trump’s legislative agenda.
For now, the Speaker is betting that unity with the administration and restraint on divisive issues will keep his caucus aligned as a turbulent fall session begins.
