Stefanik confirms her proposal is included in crucial defense bill following public disagreement with Johnson

After a public disagreement lasting 24 hours with House Speaker Mike Johnson, GOP Representative Elise Stefanik announced that her legislative priority had been reinstated in the annual defense policy bill. According to Stefanik, she and Johnson had discussions with President Donald Trump, which led to the re-inclusion of her provision addressing the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The provision has now been added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is a sweeping piece of legislation.

Stefanik, speaking on CNBC, said, "He (Johnson) and I had very successful discussions last night. This is a provision that he supports. Jim Jordan, along with the four corners excluding Jamie Raskin also supported it. First and foremost, its good policy." The provision was also unanimously passed by the House Intelligence Committee.

The New York congresswoman, who is one of Donald Trumps most vocal allies in Congress, had previously warned that she would withhold her support from the NDAA if her provision was not included. This threat had the potential to complicate Johnsons position, as he is leading a narrow majority in the House. Stefaniks frustrations were made public when she shared a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), claiming the bill was "DOA unless this provision gets added" and accusing the speaker of spreading falsehoods. Johnson denied her allegations and played down the situation.

The controversial provision requires the FBI to inform Congress when launching a counterintelligence investigation into presidential and federal candidates. Stefanik has been pushing for this legislation for years, particularly in light of the FBI's investigation into Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and its links to Russia.

"We had a great breakthrough last night. It will be included in this bill, and it represents an important step toward good governance," Stefanik added.

The conflict between Stefanik and Johnson deepened after the White House withdrew Stefaniks nomination to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, citing concerns over the narrow margins in the House. However, the resolution of this issue seems to have alleviated some pressure on Johnson for now. Despite this, Johnson continues to face a range of challenges, including party infighting and issues within his conference. Stefanik, meanwhile, is also backing a petition to bypass House GOP leadership in an effort to force a floor vote on a proposed ban on congressional stock trading.