The House now has two business days to pass Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from office.
Greene, R-Ga., has threatened to seize Mr. Johnson’s gavel and force a vote since late March in protest of Mr. Johnson’s handling of government funds and foreign aid.
His resolution, known as a motion to vacate the chair, must be put to a vote or tabled after Mr Green noted on Wednesday night that it was a “privilege”. That means House leaders have two days to take up the proposal before Congress.
Greene’s list of complaints about Johnson drew boos from House Republicans, with Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) saying, “The House is in disarray and is about to descend into chaos.” Laughter erupted from the side of the chamber.
The vote is expected to be narrow but ultimately unsuccessful, with both Republicans and Democrats speaking out against the measure, which would effectively paralyze Congress until a new speaker is found.
Marjorie Taylor Greene submits motion to Chairman Johnson
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is pushing for a vote on the motion to remove Johnson. (Getty Images)
The vote was the culmination of six months of frustration among the far-right conservatives in Mr Johnson’s conference, who had felt ignored by Mr Johnson on nearly every major bill, including foreign aid and government funding. had called for taking advantage of the government shutdown. He wanted the Democrats, who controlled the Senate and the White House, to pass Republican policies.
After Prime Minister Johnson introduced a bipartisan foreign aid bill that included $61 billion for Ukraine, Greene promoted it with support from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.). Two more people were added.
But Republicans in the House are largely dead, with even Johnson’s critics fearing another three weeks of turmoil similar to the one that followed the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October. He shows little desire to do anything, especially after six months. From the election.
House Democrats say they will block Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ouster of House Speaker Johnson
Massie said Democrats’ support for Johnson means more Republicans are likely to vote to remove him. (Getty Images)
With a slim majority of two seats, there is little doubt that Mr Johnson will lose his top spot if he goes against party lines. In early October, eight House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy from office.
But unlike in Mr. McCarthy’s case, House Democrats have pledged to support Mr. Johnson by voting for the resolution, should it be introduced. A vote to advance the bill would essentially kill it, a procedural hurdle that would allow Democrats to block Mr. Johnson’s removal from office. We need to actually vote on whether or not to fire him.
Mr. Johnson’s critics seized on left-wing support as evidence that the Louisiana Republican did not represent the interests of his own party.
“The entire Democratic Party is lining up behind Mike Johnson. First, it was the entire Democratic Party leadership team. Now, Nancy Pelosi, who twice impeached President Trump, has given Johnson her stamp of approval. No matter what. Was a deal done?’” Greene on Monday supported House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ decision to support Johnson, along with a video from the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. I wrote an article on X.
Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Johnson’s foreign aid package a ‘third betrayal’ of the American people
Johnson became speaker after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The move could save Johnson’s job, but it could also cost him some Republican support.
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“I think it’s a tough situation,” Massey told Fox News Digital last week when asked how much Republican support he expected. “And I think Hakim and the entire Democratic leadership support Mike Johnson. “That will involve a lot of people who weren’t working with us.” , to be with us. ”
Mr Johnson has repeatedly told reporters he is not afraid of Mr Green’s threats and has insisted his focus is on governing.
