Warnock holds faith discussion with Mike Johnson after senator questions House Speaker's views

Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock met with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday, where the pair discussed their Christian views after Warnock questioned some of the speaker's approaches to the poor and foreigners. 

The meeting comes after Warnock told the New York Times on Monday that he was a “Matthew 25 Christian,” after he was asked about his views on Johnson praying ahead of the passage of the GOP bill last year that included tax cuts and reductions to social-service programs, according to Politico.

The response was a reference to the passage where Jesus tells His followers to treat the hungry, sick and strangers with compassion.

“I don’t understand how you read that, say a long prayer, hold hands with your fellow legislators, and then cut a trillion dollars — $1 trillion — out of Medicaid calling it waste, fraud, and abuse,” Warnock told the New York Times.

Warnock, who is a Baptist pastor, said he made the same point to Johnson in person and that the pair had "agreed to disagree," on the topic. He also emphasized the need for more faith-based conversations in the Capitol.

"We also talked about our faith and our upbringing, and that, for me, was important because I think just at a human level it would help around this place if we had more authentic conversations across our differences," Warnock told reporters.

“The stakes are too high for us to be engaged in political fencing around here and not have authentic conversations at a human level about why you believe what you believe,” he continued. “And so I left hopeful that we might have more of that kind of conversation.”

Warnock confirmed that Johnson requested the 30-minute meeting after the interview was published and described it as “honest, candid” and “respectful.” Both men have agreed to remain in touch and exchanged numbers.

“I was happy to meet with Senator Warnock today and have a positive, fruitful discussion about matters of faith and our different opinions regarding public policy," Johnson said in a statement. "Such dialogue is important because it is always more productive to have these conversations face to face.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.