House Democrats ended any chance of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ousting Speaker Mike Johnson Tuesday, with party leadership committing in a Tuesday statement to kill any motion to vacate the Republican leader.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) declared that Democrats were ready “to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction.”
“We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair,” they said. “If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.”
Johnson (R-La.) said in a press conference afterward that he was caught off guard by the announcement and had not discussed the move with Jeffries or made any side deals on future legislation.
“I’ve not requested assistance from anyone,” he said. “There’s no deals at all.”
Greene (R-Ga.) was undaunted and called on Johnson in response to resign and change his party affiliation to vote for “every other Democrat wishlist item he’s handed over” to the opposition.
“If the Democrats want to elect him Speaker (and some Republicans want to support the Democrats’ chosen Speaker), I’ll give them the chance to do it,” she taunted.
“I’m a big believer in recorded votes because putting Congress on record allows every American to see the truth and provides transparency to our votes.”
Greene and Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) signed onto a motion to vacate Johnson before he joined with Democrats to advance and later pass $95 billion in military and humanitarian aid funding — primarily for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The row earned Greene the nickname “Moscow Marjorie” from members of both parties who saw the effort to obstruct Ukraine military funding as a boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If we turn our backs right now, the consequences could be devastating,” Johnson said after the four-bill package passed the House on April 20. “It’s an old military adage, but we would rather send bullets to the conflict overseas than our own boys, our troops.”
Greene and Massie swiftly denounced the House speaker, accusing him of betraying Republican attempts to secure the US border amid a record-breaking number of migrant crossings, rein in federal spending and protect US citizens from warrantless spying by intelligence agencies.
“Hakeem Jeffries vows to save Mike Johnson’s Speakership. Why wouldn’t he?” Massie quipped. “Johnson has given the Democrats everything they want. #Uniparty Reveal.”
“Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display,” Greene added of the looming resolution to oust Johnson. “I’m about to give them their coming out party!”
Both have also labeled the Louisianan a “lame-duck speaker” and noted his inability to fundraise at the level of his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“We need to wait until November and have a speaker contest,” House Freedom Caucus chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) said Monday night, according to Punchbowl News, registering support for Johnson’s replacement in the next Congress.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and others have defended Johnson since the foreign aid legislation passed.
“Mr. Johnson has the most challenging speakership since the Civil War over 150 years ago,” Gingrich, who led the House Republican conference from 1995 to 1999, wrote in a Washington Times op-ed on Monday.
Even critics of McCarthy, who was removed in October after passing a government funding bill with Democratic support, have declined to support Greene’s motion.
“I oppose a motion to vacate at the current time,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led eight Republicans on the motion to vacate McCarthy, told NBC News Tuesday.
“I think that’s pretty much not gonna happen. We’re at too much of a slim majority,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) also told the outlet. “I don’t support what he’s doing; he went back on his word to us. … However, I’m not going to risk giving the gavel to a Democrat.”
House Republicans hold a 217-212 majority in the lower chamber, meaning they can only afford to lose two votes on any bill.
Democrats were expected to pick up an additional seat Tuesday in a special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY).
