The following is a transcript of the interview with the speaker of the house Mike Johnson, who aired “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on September 14, 2025.

Major Garrett: House speaker, Mike Johnson, who joins us this morning from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. speaker, it’s good to see you. I appreciate your time. The boards of the booth are always multiple. You know that. The previous speakers I covered them know, but they feel especially difficult after the event this week. I just want to ask you, Mr. Chair, how are you?

Speaker Johnson: I’m fine, Major. Thanks for asking. No doubt, it was a difficult week for the country. Certainly, he felt on Capitol Hill. There is a mix, you know, anger and sadness and fear, honestly, by many people. She threw a great shadow across the country and the capital of the state. But what I know, Major is that my good friend Charlie would not want any of us to live despair. We would like to move boldly forward, it was his message and to do it in love. And I think, I hope, the message that continues in the days ahead.

Major Garrett: It is not common for this show to be picked up on something that young Democrats Connecticuta and young Republican Connecticuta said, but they attracted a statement that attracted a lot of attention on the internet, saying “in our country there is no room for such procedures, regardless of political disagreement.” Do you believe that on the Capitol hill there will be a method for creating any two -sided memory of Charlie Kirk?

Speaker Johnson: will be. You know, we had a moment of prayer and quiet thinking on the floor on Wednesday within an hour of his passing. On Friday night in LSU, my Alma Mater, I will participate in a big waking up at Baton Rouge in LSU. Tonight we will have a big, hopefully, double -sided prayer and reflections on Capitol Hill at the Kennedy Center. There will be a reflection and a prayer moment I will lead on Monday night. This will continue. I think the country must see leaders in congress and leaders with platforms across the country who speak the truth and bring peace to the situation. We should regret, as Lincoln reminded us so many years ago, for better angels among all of us. And I think this is the right moment for America (technical disorder) – affirmative. And I think he is one way to do this, a major, to adopt the way of Charlie Kirk, because although he loved a lively discussion and believed in the free market of ideas and bravely progressed to the truth, he was also motivated by his love for his colleagues because he never hated the person on the other side of the table. And I think everyone would remind yourself of that model well.

Major Garrett: Mr. President, you mentioned the word fear a moment ago. On the lips of the Congress members in ways that I have never experienced before. They talk openly. They have already canceled events. Other members talk about whether or not in their family conversations or not. How do you feel this special space of anxiety because of your membership, Republican and Democrats?

JOHNSON: Yes, well, I’ve talked to many of them in the last few days about it and trying to calm the nerves, to convince them that we will, we will ensure that everyone has the necessary level of security, that the resources will be there for their housing security and their personal security. We evaluate all the possibilities for this. But also, you know, they reminded that a certain measure of the courage was needed to steal II lead. I mean, our first liability do this every day, our army members do this every day and political figures. But I think that if we all adopt these practices together and reject rhetoric, we, you know, stop with this idea that disputes in politics are somehow an existential threat to democracy or republic, we stop calling names. I mean the call of people of Nazis and fascists is not useful. Look, there are some belittled people in society and when they see leaders who use this kind of language, so often, more and more, it drives them to action. We need to recognize this reality and get rid of it appropriately. And I hear myself when I know, master and see many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisles amplify and say that and speak. I think this could be a turning point, honestly, using Charlie’s term, for the land, and I hope it is true.

Major Garrett: Would it be a turning point, from your point, Mr. President, because I know you talked to President Trump for a long time, spreading to the White House itself?

Speaker Johnson: Well, of course. Look, Charlie’s president knew very well. He was like a member of the Trump family. Many of us felt a close connection with him and admired Charlie’s approach to a public hearing. And you heard him say that publicly. He was a good man, and I think the best way to respect his memory is to continue doing so, not ashamed of discussion, keep the free market for ideas, but to work on the tone of these discussions. Because I think that- I think it serves the best of our principles, our Judeo-Christian heritage as a nation, our civic discourse, and we must return to that.

Major Garrett: Mr. Presidency, a few questions waiting before the congress, of which the least holding the Government is open. I know you prefer seven -week pure CR, but there is a print for other questions. Extension of tax subsidies for Obamacare. In Senate, there was an encouragement for Russian sanctions supported by Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina. Will any of them, from your lookout, get into something to make the government open?

Johnson speaker: Well, listen, we worked hard in the house to return regular order in the Government Financing Procedure, and this is something no one has seen long at Capitol Hill. But it encourages me that, in a two -sided manner, the House Approval Committee has adopted all 12 annual proposals for the Law on Approved funds through the Committee. We have three from the floor of the house. The Senate passed several and then last week we voted to move to a conference (technical disorder) –

Major Garrett: – Okay, Mr. Presidency, I believe there is a technical failure that forced us to lose your sound. We will make ourselves quickly, and we will return to Mike Johnson’s home lecturer at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in just a moment.

(Commercial break)

Major Garrett: Welcome back to the face. Because technically Gremlins lurks everywhere, they entered between my conversation with the speaker of the house Mike Johnson. Mr. Speaker, I’m glad you came back. You were in the middle of a response to Obamacara’s tax subsidies, possible sanctions against Russia and a government financing mechanism. Please continue.

Speaker Johnson: Yes, sorry for the interruption there. Listen, we are very encouraged that we have been able to restore regular approval, regular order procedure –

Major Garrett: – All right, but will we do that? Will these two things be added to the procedure, Mr. President?

Speaker Johnson: We’ll have to see. I have to build a consensus around everything, but I think we will need a short -term funding measure. A clean church that will allow more time to understand it all. We definitely hope that Democrats will go to it, because if not, they really have no excuse. If they turned off the government, they would be their unilateral decision to do so.

Major Garrett: And when Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, says, as he did this weekend, it’s time for Russian sanctions. President Trump opened the door to tariffs against India and China as a way of creating economic influences to end the war in Ukraine. Where are you standing on all this?

Johnson speaker: Listen, I believe desperate times require desperate measures, and I think the appropriate sanctions are far away. I mean, I think there is a big appetite in the congress, so we are ready to work with the white house and colleagues of our Senate in the house to achieve it and I am impatient, personally.

Major Garrett: Are you waiting for the president to give you a green light or could Congress have it at will?

Johnson speaker: Well, Congress really can’t do it by his will, because of course, the president should sign everything we do in the law. So, it must be a partnership, but we are departing from the commander. I mean, the president is a strong and bold leader on the world stage. He has supported peace around the world and other conflicts in a way that no one could do before him, so we believe that he can use the same force and the same approach to finally lead to the end of this war in Ukraine. Everyone in America wants the bloodshed to be completed, and President Trump is forcing it, and I safely (technical disorder)-

Major Garrett: Okay. Mr. Speaker, I have been told that the technical difficulties of teaching be, so we will end the conversation a little too early here to spare you and spare our audience from the continuation of Mayhem technical Gremlin. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time. Thank you for joining us for the people.