House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Thursday opposed the current rules for motions to retire that could end his tenure as speaker, lamenting that he doesn’t have the votes to change the rules at this point.
Johnson’s carefully worded statement stopped short of outright calling for a rule change that could save the gavel, but he spoke out against the current rules and expressed the “importance of the idea” of a rule change. He made it clear that he understood.
“Since the beginning of the 118th Congress, the House rules that allow single-member motions to vacate have hurt this office and the House majority,” Johnson said. Posted On the official account of X. “Recently, a number of members encouraged me to support a new rule that would raise this threshold. I understand the importance of that idea, but a rule change would require a majority of the entire House. “We don’t have that. We will continue to govern based on existing rules.”
Since the beginning of the 118th Congress, House rules allowing a motion to vacate by a single member have been damaging to the office and the House majority.
A number of members have recently encouraged me to support new rules to raise this threshold. Although I understand the importance…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 18, 2024
MP Thomas Massey called out Mr Johnson’s misleading statements and responded on social media.
“The Speaker tried to change the rules to preclude a motion to vacate, but he didn’t have a vote today,” Massey said. Posted At X.
The Speaker tried to change the rules to preclude a motion to vacate, but there was no vote today. https://t.co/2qv4zvayI3
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 18, 2024
Breitbart News asked Johnson whether he would change the motion or promise not to change it if the rule change gains support, even if a majority of Republicans oppose it. was not obtained.
Republicans debated the rule changes on the House floor Thursday morning. Johnson’s statement comes at a time when large swaths of the Republican establishment clearly support reinstating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi-era rules that would weaken conservative opposition to Johnson’s policies. clearly asserts that there is not enough support from the Democratic Party.
It is puzzling why Democrats would now oppose a rule change that they unanimously voted against in January 2023. The vote on the House rules package for the new Congress changes the Pelosi-era secession motion and returns it to the historic norm of allowing a single member to secede. File a motion to rescind. Pelosi had raised the bar just a few years ago to protect his own leadership and ensure all Democrats were on the same page.
Prime Minister Johnson will need support from Democrats to bring the rules to the floor approving a tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid package for Ukraine, as conservatives oppose the package (somewhat confusingly). , which are the rules of the House Rules Committee that govern introduced bills) and not the rules governing broader House operations, such as the rules governing motions to leave). However, as Breitbart News has extensively reported, it is highly unusual for a minority party to vote in favor of procedural rules submitted by the majority party, even if the minority party supports the underlying bill. It is.
It is widely speculated that Democrats will seek concessions from Mr. Johnson to vote on a rule that would allow him to bring a major Ukraine-related bill to the floor, but the rule could pass without a Democratic vote. Can not.
Democrats will protect Johnson’s job, but they can wield maximum influence over him by withholding support for the rule changes they want.
Breitbart asked Johnson whether he and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), or his representatives, had been in touch about the rule change, especially if Democrats actually supported it. Breitbart did not respond to questions about why he appears to be withholding support for rule changes. response.
Breitbart also asked whether the change in the motion to override the rule is part of negotiations with Democrats to pass rules on the foreign aid package (or to accomplish House Speaker Johnson’s other priorities). I asked if it would emerge as a material. It’s as if Speaker Johnson is promising he won’t put together a motion to override rule changes that could save his job alongside legislative rules and foundational bills like foreign aid packages.
Johnson’s office did not respond.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
