The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resolution to expel Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, as lawmakers from both parties came together in a rare moment of bipartisanship to keep the chamber open. I disabled it very easily.
The vote on the Green resolution motion was 359-43, with 196 Republicans and 163 Democrats voting in favor of canceling the proposal.
Greene took to the House floor Wednesday night to announce her plan, to boos from Republicans in the chamber. Her request set off the countdown clock, as House rules stipulate that lawmakers must vote on the issue within two legislative days. House Republicans chose to take up the issue immediately, as the resolution was widely expected to fail.
House Democratic leadership had previously indicated they would vote to reject Greene’s resolution, and a majority of the caucus took a similar position on Wednesday. However, 32 Democrats and 11 Republicans opposed the motion to introduce the resolution, and seven members voted “yes.”
Speaking to reporters after the vote, Mr Johnson thanked his colleagues for helping him hold the post for six and a half months.
“I want to say that I appreciate my colleagues’ expression of confidence in defeating this misguided effort, which it certainly was,” Johnson said. “As I’ve said from the beginning and as I’ve made clear here every day, I’m going to do my job. I’m going to do what I believe is right, what I’ve been elected to do. That’s leadership, in my opinion.
Greene’s maneuver appeared to have caught many Republicans by surprise, as the far-right lawmaker had spent much of the past few days meeting with Johnson to address concerns about his leadership. He has repeatedly criticized Johnson for relying on support from Democrats to pass key legislation, including government funding and foreign aid packages.
Green had said this week that she would force a vote on the withdrawal motion, but appeared to backtrack on that promise on Tuesday.
“Let’s see. That’s up to Mike Johnson,” Greene told reporters when asked if she still planned to call for a vote. “Obviously, things can’t happen instantly. And we all recognize and understand that. So now the ball is in his court and he’s reaching out to us. That’s going to happen — hopefully soon.”
Donald Trump, who has voiced support for Johnson in recent weeks, reportedly called Greene over the weekend, but she did not provide details of the call to reporters.
“I have to say, I love President Trump. The conversations I had with him were great,” Green said. “Again, I won’t go into details. Do you want to know why? I have no qualms about that.”
Although her motion for him to step down was overwhelmingly defeated, Greene and her allies already appear poised to turn the issue into a litmus test for Republican lawmakers. Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the Green resolution, said: I shared a photo with X Among the 11 Republicans who voted against the motion.
“This is a new paradigm in Congress,” Massey said. “[Former Democratic speaker] nancy pelosi and most [Republicans] Voted to retain Unionist Party Chairman Mike Johnson. These are the 11 people who voted not to save him, including me. ”
Republicans, who rallied behind Mr. Johnson, hit back by accusing Ms. Greene and her allies of fomenting chaos in the House. The incident comes less than a year after the ouster of former Republican Party Chairman Kevin McCarthy, which suspended the chamber for weeks until Johnson’s election.
Congressman Mike Lawler, who is facing a tough re-election campaign in New York this November, told reporters on Wednesday that “this type of tantrum is completely unacceptable and nothing that advances the cause of the conservative movement.” It is of no use.” The only people hindering our ability to govern are the very people who have been pulling these kinds of stunts throughout this Congressional process to undermine the House Republican majority. ”
Rep. Sean Kasten, Democrat of Illinois, offered a more concise and incisive assessment. write to X, he said of Green: But she keeps talking. ”
