Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is here to stay, not that he deserves to be. The Louisiana Republican was supposedly supposed to be a better GOP leader. Instead, he rolled on government spending, Ukraine aid, and FISA renewal. The latter was the most disappointing since he was against it, but he changed his tune when the FBI got a hold of him. They gave him a briefing, and he magically reversed course.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate, setting the stage for a possible circus at a time when the House Republican majority is beyond tissue-paper thin. There’s also no better candidate. Arguably, one could argue that Kevin McCarthy wouldn’t have let some of the stuff Johnson skate by, but that’s ancient history. It’s done, and Johnson can thank Democrats for saving his political skin (via Politico):
House Democratic leaders announced Tuesday that they’d block a looming effort to boot Speaker Mike Johnson, an unprecedented development they attributed to the GOP leader's help to pass foreign aid.
“We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a statement.
Even before the announcement, there was significant doubt among House Republicans that Greene’s motion would have been successful (via Axios):
A sizable number of GOP lawmakers cast doubt on the odds of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) pulling the trigger on her motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), with some arguing her efforts lost momentum after members went home for recess.
Why it matters: Greene told reporters she felt members would hear from constituents back home in support of her motion shortly before House lawmakers left town. But multiple members said GOP voters have largely been against another speaker ouster attempt this Congress.
"Even trolls online have said they don't want it," one member told Axios.
"I don’t think she's going to do it - I think that window for her has passed," another argued.
With Democrats now firm in their support for Johnson, this is a dead item. No one wants this kind of chaos during an election year. I couldn’t care less, but here we are—Speaker Johnson unless we get a new president and keep the House. Then, there’s no way he will remain, but for now, he keeps the gavel.
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UPDATE: Yeah, this ploy is dead.
Greene leaves Capitol without triggering her resolution to remove Johnson. Is peppered with questions. Does not respond to any of them
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 30, 2024
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