Mike Johnson breaks with Trump on key issue to assist vulnerable GOP lawmaker
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) broke with President Donald Trump on an offshore wind project in Virginia.
The Louisiana Republican told Politico's E&E News that he had voiced support to cabinet secretaries for the nearly complete Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project project, which has thus far escaped administration scrutiny despite being the largest such venture in the country.
“Yes, I’ve talked to the Trump team and there are ongoing conversations about that,” Johnson told the publication. “I understand the priority for Virginians and we want to do right by them, so we’ll see.”
The Trump administration has halted construction on similar projects, and the president – who frequently rages against windmills during public speeches – has threatened to end the careers of politicians who support the industry.
“Amazing phenomenon — Any Country that relies on Windmills is DEAD,” Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social. “Their Energy Costs have gone through the roof, and their populations are angry. Windmills aren’t only killing the birds, they’re ‘killing’ lots of bad politicians who are losing their jobs because of them!”
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), who represents the competitive Virginia Beach area where the project is located, told Johnson last week on the House floor the project, which is being led by Dominion Energy, was "important" to her district because of its ties to a major naval base there.
“It’s almost 80 percent complete,” Kiggans said. “Ratepayers have already paid for it.”
The Trump administration last week canceled a Department of Transportation grant worth nearly $40 million Virginia-based Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics, an industrial plant that would support the project.
"Johnson’s push can be seen as managing the needs of a member of his caucus," Politico reported. "But it’s also a break with Trump and his long-running crusade against wind energy, which many attribute to his failed fight against wind turbines near his seaside golf resort in Scotland."