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WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson came to power on the wing of a far-right Republican coalition, but now faces a revolt by one of the caucus’ most conservative members. And the very thing that made him vulnerable – his willingness to work with Democrats on spending bills – may be what saves him.
When the House of Commons returns from a two-week recess on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a move to remove him from office by one of the same staunch Conservative MPs who supported him just months ago. Right-wing flame monger Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) took the first steps last month to oust Mr. Johnson from office. Just before lawmakers left Washington for recess last month, he filed a so-called “motion to step down” to force Johnson out of the speakership.
Greene did not try to force a vote on the floor..Iinstead, She left it as a “warning” to speakers.
Ms. Greene’s frustration with Mr. Johnson increased after the House of Commons passed a $1.2 trillion bill to provide long-term funding for the government.The deal failed to gain support from most Republicans., They object to the bill’s overall spending levels and lack of more stringent policy changes to address the crisis at the southern border. Prime Minister Johnson was forced to rely on Democrats to pass the bill, infuriating some of the most conservative members of the House of Commons.
But unlike his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who allowed the right-wing forces to topple without Democrats intervening on Johnson’s behalf, some officials say the opposition has a potential There is a possibility that there may be a sudden attack to rescue Mr. Johnson from a possible resignation vote. House Democrats.
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growing feud
Ms Greene has stepped up her criticism of Mr Johnson in recent days, questioning his ability to lead the Conservatives since taking the gavel.
“Mike Johnson has completely changed his personality in about five months since he became Speaker of the House,” Greene told conservative interviewer Tucker Carlson last week. “He calls himself a conservative, and always has been, and yet here we are.”
She added that Mr. Johnson has “completely lost touch with who he is and what he stands for.”
Johnson’s tactic of relying on Democrats to fund the government mirrors McCarthy’s decision to avoid a government shutdown with Democratic support. In response, a small group of right-wing rebels, excluding Greene, joined all House Democrats in ousting McCarthy.
Mr Johnson’s challenge stems from Mr McCarthy making major concessions to the right while running for speaker last year, agreeing to change the rules of the House of Commons so that only one member could vote to remove the speaker. do.
Greene told CNN last week that her effort to oust Johnson is “gaining momentum,” but so far no other Republican has publicly expressed support for his removal. Not there. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who led the effort to oust Mr. McCarthy, argued that some Republicans would elevate Mr. Jeffries to the chairmanship if Mr. Johnson was ousted.
However, with one Republican resigning from the House, leaving the House with 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats, Republican support will soon become extremely close. Assuming the full House is present, it would only take three outraged Republicans to oust Johnson if all Democrats supported him.
Will Democrats save Johnson?
But Democrats could vote to bail out Johnson instead if he can achieve bipartisan priorities such as aid to Ukraine.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told Fox News Sunday last week that he hoped to save Mr. Johnson if the House passed aid to Ukraine along with money to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. I will consider it.”
Aid to Ukraine has been a long-standing issue in the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces intense pressure from both sides to announce continued aid to countries facing conflict, but a growing number of MPs at his conference expressed skepticism about further aid. ing.
House Democrats, speaking on condition of anonymity, told USA TODAY that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and the Democratic Party should not provide free support to Mr. Johnson, saying the Republican majority is razor-thin. He argued that this gave Republicans more influence over Congress. speaker.
“I think we might vote to save him, but we’re at a point now where Democrats need to get something in return. (The slim majority) definitely strengthens Mr. Hakim’s power.” the lawmaker said.
But if Mr. Johnson is rescued by Democrats and keeps his job, conservatives could be even more furious. Greene has already called Johnson “the Democratic Speaker of the House, because there’s a world of difference between what Nancy Pelosi did last Congress and what Mike Johnson is doing now as the so-called Republican Speaker of the House.” Because there is no room for that.”
Mr. Green has strongly criticized the support for Ukraine, and if Mr. Johnson puts it to a vote, it could be a turning point for Mr. Green, forcing him to vote to leave. there is a possibility. Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured MPs that the House of Commons would vote on aid to Ukraine in the near future.
“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to be at odds with the Speaker after this Ukraine bill,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” last week.
What happens after Johnson?
It is unclear who will succeed Johnson if he is fired. After Mr. McCarthy’s ouster, it quickly became clear that the small group of conservative rebels had no alternative speaker to support. As a result, House Republicans were embroiled in intense infighting, considering three other speaker candidates before settling on Johnson.
The dysfunction as Republicans scramble to elect a new speaker has revealed deep rifts across the House Republican conference. Over the past three weeks, Republicans have lamented that the chaos is hurting the party’s image with voters heading into the 2024 election.
It’s also unclear whether Republicans have the appetite for another high-stakes speaker race that would once again put the House GOP’s divisions on full display as the election approaches. Democrats have publicly said they plan to go after Republicans in the campaign over the House chaos.
Johnson last week on Fox News described Greene as a “friend” and said he was “frustrated” with government funding deals, but said the narrow majority in the House of Commons meant that “sometimes we pass bills that we would ban.” “It may happen,” he claimed. I don’t like it. ”
He added that there is “no need for any disagreement at this time” as Republicans seek to protect their House majority and regain control of both the Senate and the White House.
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