OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion on Friday morning to oust Mike Johnson from the speakership amid anger about the government funding bill.
“The House would have to consider Greene’s motion within two legislative days after she is recognized. The chamber is heading for a two-week recess, and Greene told reporters she would not call up the resolution on Friday, which means the clock to force a vote has not started,” Axios reported.
“After Greene filed the motion, she was swarmed by her Republican colleagues. A source close to the conversations told CNN that a number of fellow GOP lawmakers were trying to convince the Georgia Republican not to bring the motion. Two of the lawmakers who were there, GOP Reps. Barry Loudermilk and Kat Cammack, were observed to be in an extended conversation with Greene,” the outlet added.
Greene spoke to reporters and said: “Short or getting the vote is necessary how can you find someone to succeed Mike Johnson who can get the votes and keep the conference together and not plunge the chamber into chaos? It because the country is in crisis. We have a border invasion happening every single day. People under 30 years old has lost hope for their future. The younger generations cannot afford to buy homes, and inflation is running rampant.”
“Our country is in crisis and we need real leaders who know how to fight and know how to walk into the ring and do not get rolled by the deep state, or by the Democrats do not get rolled into doing whatever it takes to maintain that power and position. We need to speak of the house that actually represents the people. This is not Washington, D.C., this is the people’s house. >> Warning sign but you bottom line wants Johnson out.
Motion to vacate if we didn’t need a new speaker. I have respect for him as a person but he is not doing the job – and the proof is in the vote count today. He passed a budget that should have not been brought to the floor and it was passed with the Democrats and without the majority,” she added.
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Raj Shah, a spokesman for Johnson, said the speaker’s focus is “on governing. He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.”
The House won’t consider the motion until after it returns from a two-week recess on April 9, according to an official familiar with the process.
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who pushed for a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker, stated on Thursday that he does not support a motion to evict Johnson.
“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz told reporters. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with the Democrat speaker. And I was right. I couldn’t make that promise again.”
Asked how that could happen, Gaetz said, “We’d have Republicans cross over. I worry that we’ve got Republicans who would vote for Hakeem Jeffries at this point. I really do. I take no joy in saying that. But you can only vacate the speaker if you know that the party leadership won’t change hands. I knew that with certainty last time. I don’t know it with certainty this time.”
During an interview on Steve Bannon’s podcast earlier this week, Greene said: “We are making that decision on a minute-by-minute basis today, Steve, and I think you can stay tuned. I urge you to watch what happens.”
“I don’t think that the American people, Republican voters across the country, want to see a Republican speaker that’s held in place by Democrats,” Greene told reporters outside the Capitol after the vote. “This is not exactly what people want.”
On Thursday afternoon, Greene told NBC News, “There’s a lot of people talking about a motion to vacate.”
“The House approved the $1.2 trillion government funding package, known as a minibus, amid the drama of Green’s actions. The measure combines the final six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024. Johnson had endorsed the package earlier in the week after a marathon round of negotiations between congressional leaders in Congress and the White House,” The Hill reported.
“Johnson has claimed a number of victories for conservatives in the package, while acknowledging that the nature of the divided powers in Washington meant Republicans were not able to secure everything they wanted,” the outlet added.
