At around 2pm on Saturday, a bipartisan group of House members gathered in the well of the chamber. The House of Representatives just approved a $26 billion aid package for Israel by a vote of 366-58, the culmination of several roll call votes on a series of foreign aid bills that included $61 billion for Ukraine.
But lawmakers weren’t sure if they were done yet or if they could go home for the House’s postponed recess week. There was a sense of euphoria on Capitol Hill all day as the House raced to pass a foreign aid package. But Saturday’s Congressional spectacle on the foreign aid package was likely to regress into a forgotten undercard. Political events related to climate change were looming. Lawmakers wanted to know what was going to happen and whether their services were still needed in the House.
Everyone was hanging around to see if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) would introduce a resolution to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from office. It would be difficult to overstate how dramatic this is, especially given that Democrats bailed out Mr. Johnson on Friday to get his foreign aid package through. And on Ukraine, just 101 Republicans voted “yes.” A further 112 people voted “no”. On the other hand, 210 Democratic members of Congress voted in favor.
Republican rebels threaten to expel Johnson, House passes $60 billion Ukraine aid bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks to the media after the House passes the Ukraine and Israel Assistance Act on April 20, 2024. (Nathan Posner)
But Mr. Green did not go after Mr. Johnson on Saturday afternoon, at least not in Congress. She verbally lowered Mr Johnson to parliamentary reporters on the House steps.
“He did this [expletive] “Here on the floor of the House of Representatives, we are debating foreign war policies that are of no use to America,” Greene said.
She even spoke in near-biblical terms about the speaker. Although Greene did not mention Peter’s third betrayal of Jesus, he did declare that Peter’s promotion of foreign aid programs was “Mike Johnson’s third betrayal.” Green said the other two are passing two major spending bills to avoid a government shutdown and reauthorizing a key law enforcement spying tool known as FISA Section 702.
“I’m grateful that America can now know who this man is,” Green said. “He’s already a lame duck. If he had a vote in today’s meeting, he wouldn’t be chairman today.”
But Mr Green did not call for a vote for Mr Johnson. The move may have been unusual, especially given that the House took the unprecedented step last fall of stripping former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of the gavel.
So why didn’t Green move?
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the media after the House passed the Ukraine and Israel Assistance Act on April 20, 2024. (Nathan Posner)
Some might say it’s a math thing.
She would have lost.
House Democrats have been reluctant about plans that might protect Mr. Johnson. But after the House passed the aid to Ukraine, Democrats likely supported Mr. Johnson by voting on whether to pass the Green resolution. Alternatively, it is possible that he took a “walk” and missed the vote. If Democrats were absent, the House vote total would have declined. That would have diluted the votes of those who wanted Johnson to be ousted.
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Knowing that, it is easy to understand why there was no vote on Mr Johnson’s viability as chairman at the weekend. However, there was actually a test vote.
The vote was not a “vote of no confidence” of the kind orchestrated by Greene to “relinquish the Speaker,” create chaos in the House, and demand a new election for the Speaker. Instead, the House of Representatives gave a vote of “confidence” to Johnson, a vote on Ukraine.
While many Republicans abandoned Johnson on the Ukraine deal, 193 Republicans voted “yes” on the Israel aid bill. In addition, 186 Republicans voted in favor of a consolidated bill that would restrict the use of TikTok in the United States and impose sanctions on Iran. More Democrats than Republicans voted in favor of the Taiwan aid bill. However, the bill still received approval from 178 Republicans.
Many Republicans have abandoned Mr. Johnson over Ukraine. However, 193 Republicans voted in favor of the Israel aid bill. (Getty Images)
Mr Johnson will therefore continue as chairman for now. His enemies are still in the House of Commons.
“I’m frustrated that there was zero border security in the bill,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). “Putting that on the floor is shockingly stupid.”
Mr Johnson’s opponents said they hoped the speaker issue would continue to smolder for weeks to come. They believe there will be a public uprising against Mr Johnson’s actions. That, they hope, will force now-silent Republicans to turn against him.
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“Honestly, it’s difficult to protect.” [Johnson] Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), one of the eight House Republicans who voted to remove Mr. McCarthy from office last fall, said, “There is certainly a decline in the leadership of the Republican Party.” Told.
Representative Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said many Republicans are suffering from buyer’s remorse for Mr. Johnson in the wake of the uproar that ousted Mr. McCarthy last year.
“I’m frustrated that there was zero border security in the bill,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), furious that the House moved forward with aid to Ukraine. “Putting that on the floor is shockingly stupid.” (Getty Images)
“We fought. We had a process. We tried to choose speakers,” Good said. “We ended up choosing a failed candidate.”
Republicans took 22 days to land a speakership after ousting Mr. McCarthy. In the process, they passed on House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Ohio), and House Majority Leader Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) before reaching Johnson. The party’s three candidates, Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), were incinerated.
This is why House Republicans are exhausted by the constant chaos. Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kansas) just announced that he will retire at the end of his current term. LaTurner, 36, is only in his second term.
“I don’t think we need that kind of chaos right now,” said Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.). “I don’t replace someone unless we reach a solid agreement.” [candidate] Coming in from behind. And we are not. ”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) acknowledged that support for Mr. Johnson was “softening.” But, Burchett added, “time heals.” But he also pointed out that “sometimes the wound opens up.”
When Republicans secured a majority in the fall of 2022, many Republicans claimed they wanted the House to “do its will.” They wanted members to be in charge and to weaken the authority of the leadership. They hated former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, for running the House with an iron fist.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) acknowledged that support for Mr. Johnson was “softening.” (Tom Williams)
But Republicans often take contradictory positions on how the House is run. It’s an issue not lost on House Republican Conference Vice Chairman Blake Moore (R-Utah).
“We wanted to reduce power. We wanted to decentralize power,” Moore said. “But when things don’t go as planned, [some members hope], they want to influence whatever power the speaker has. That’s a bit of a double standard. ”
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Translation: Some conservatives want the House to “do its will” only when it suits them.
A total of 311 members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Ukraine bill. 366 people voted in favor of the Israel bill. 385 people voted in favor of the Taiwan bill. And 360 members voted in favor of the TikTok/Iran sanctions bill. That’s more than two-thirds of the House vote on each bill, far exceeding the threshold that would override a presidential veto even if it were in effect (which, of course, is not the case here).
That’s why Johnson is still around. The House carried out its will. And Johnson was willing to let it work its way, even if it might hurt him later.
