In a move that could potentially throw Congress into turmoil reminiscent of last October's ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, far-right Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion on Friday to remove current House Speaker Mike Johnson. However, Greene characterized her action as "more of a warning than a pink slip," stating that she did not want to "throw the House into chaos" by immediately forcing a vote on the motion.
The filing of the motion comes on the heels of Johnson's reliance on Democratic votes to pass a $1.2 trillion spending bill, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. Greene, who claims to be a Republican "member in good standing," told reporters that her motion was "filed, but it's not voted on. It only gets voted on [when] I call it to the floor for a vote."
Speaking to reporters on the Capitol steps, Greene emphasized that there was no set timeline for a potential vote on the motion, saying, "I'm not saying that it won't happen in two weeks or it won't happen in a month or who knows when. But I am saying the clock has started. It's time for our conference to choose a new speaker."
Greene's motion marks the latest dramatic expression of the inability of House Republicans to govern themselves effectively. In January 2023, Kevin McCarthy became speaker only after enduring 15 rounds of voting as the pro-Trump far-right faction subjected him to intense scrutiny. In October, another far-right Republican, Matt Gaetz of Florida, successfully introduced a motion to vacate, leading to the historic ejection of a speaker by his own party.
Mike Johnson, who succeeded McCarthy as a candidate acceptable to the far-right, now faces the challenge of operating with a slim majority that is set to decrease further with the impending resignation of Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin in April. Friday's shutdown-averting spending bill marks the second instance of Johnson passing legislation with Democratic support.
While Rep. Gaetz, who previously moved against McCarthy over similar issues, stated that he did not support Greene's motion to remove Johnson, the potential for Democratic support in maintaining Johnson's speakership remains a point of speculation. An unnamed Democrat told Politico, "If we get some Ukraine aid package, that might be part of a deal," alluding to Johnson's alignment with Trump in blocking aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Raj Shah, a former Trump White House aide and current spokesperson for Johnson, stated, "Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members, but is focused on governing."
Greene, however, maintained that Republican voters did not "want to see a Republican speaker that's held in place by Democrats." When asked if she believed a speakership fight was a good idea in an election year, Greene responded, "Absolutely ... because, dammit, I want to win that House, I want to win the White House, I want to win the Senate and I want to restore this country back to greatness again."
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed Greene's motion, telling reporters, "It's a joke, she is an embarrassment. We will have a conversation about it soon."
The filing of the motion has sparked controversy among House Republicans, with rank-and-file GOP lawmakers like Rep. Mike Lawler of New York blasting Greene's move as "idiotic" and undermining the conservative movement and the country.
