west virginia — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Wednesday that the next Congress could begin with rule changes that would make it harder to remove the House speaker from power.
House Republicans are at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia for their annual retreat, as party leaders and members chart a path forward to 2024 and beyond.
Prime Minister Johnson had been optimistic that Republicans could maintain and expand their razor-thin House majority in November, but he would override the rules, guidelines for removing speakers from power, in the next parliament. He indicated that the motion was also likely to be changed.
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Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the motion to override the rules could be changed in the next legislative session. (Chip Somodevilla)
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has set the threshold for triggering a vote to remove a House majority leader from a House majority of 1 as part of a deal with critics to win the gavel in January 2023. I agreed to reduce it to a person.
Ultimately, he was ousted in early October by eight House Republicans and all Democrats after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) filed a motion calling for him to resign. Johnson was elected three weeks later at the Republican convention.
The Louisiana Republican said he has never supported changing the rules, but he expects a majority of lawmakers want to move forward. Dozens of House Republicans criticized the eight people who voted to remove Mr. McCarthy from office, arguing that they predicted historic levels of instability under Mr. McCarthy’s leadership.
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Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to lower the motion to vacate the threshold in January 2023, but the motion was later used against him. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I think on behalf of the majority of members of the House of Representatives, there is a desire to re-establish some norms around the rules of the floor and how we handle legislation. As you know, many of us are thoughtful and “I hope we get the right response. Even if we’re across the aisle, we were able to have a deliberative conversation,” Johnson said.
“Motions to step down often come up among members in discussions, and I expect that they will probably be changed, but just to be clear, I have never advocated for them. No, I’m not pro-choice.’ I don’t think that’s an issue right now, so I’m making it an issue. ”
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Congressman Matt Gaetz initiated a motion for McCarthy to resign last October. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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He added that both Republicans and Democrats have “openly” talked about the need to bring a motion to pass the threshold, adding: “They want a more normal process on the House floor again.”
“We’re going to look at that in the House rules package and in each caucus and conference package for the new Congress, and that’s something we need to do in due course to be good stewards of the system,” Johnson said. ” he said. .
