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Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday introduced a resolution calling for House Speaker Mike Johnson to be removed from office after pushing through a $1.2 trillion bipartisan spending bill that drew the ire of the far right. has been submitted, taking the first step towards his dismissal.
“Today I filed a motion to stand down because Speaker Johnson betrayed our meeting and violated our rules,” Greene said shortly after the package was passed. This was necessary to avoid a partial government shutdown after midnight.
Greene has said she would not call for an immediate vote to remove Johnson from office, but her actions pose an extraordinary challenge to Johnson’s leadership and may lead divided House Republicans to consider removing their own speaker. This is the second time in less than six months.
“This is more of a warning than a pink slip,” Greene told reporters on the steps of the Capitol. “I need new speakers.”
Ms. Greene’s resolution, introduced while a vote on the spending bill was still underway, represents a major test for Mr. Johnson and marks the latest in a sordid year for the House of Representatives with the collapse of the Republican majority. It was also a turbulent moment.
Ms Greene declined to say on Friday whether she intended to use the privilege granted to members of the House of Representatives to force an immediate vote on Mr Johnson’s removal, saying that members of the House of Representatives will be in a position to force an immediate vote on Mr Johnson’s removal. left many questions and uncertainties. – Week off. But her resolution at least hints that Johnson could become the second Republican chairman to face removal by his colleagues less than six months after Republican rebels ousted Kevin McCarthy. Johnson became the first president in history to be removed from office.
Before Friday’s vote began, Greene stood on the House floor and attacked the spending bill, calling it a Democratic victory and claiming it funds progressive policies.
“This is not a Republican bill. This is a Democratic-led Chuck Schumer bill,” Greene said on the House floor Friday morning.
And after it passed, she expressed anger that Mr. Johnson had violated an unwritten but sacred rule within the Republican Party against introducing legislation that does not have the support of a majority of members. After speaking out against the bill at the parade, less than half of Republicans supported it, saying it did not cut enough spending and included conservative policy requirements sought by Republicans, such as tougher immigration restrictions. He complained that there was no such thing.
Greene’s move comes after the ultra-conservative Republican, who was unanimously sworn in as speaker in October, has infuriated the right by terminating numerous deals with Johnson. It was the culmination of months of dissatisfaction among right-wing lawmakers with his leadership. Democrats will keep the government funded.
Johnson defended the bill in a lengthy statement after Friday’s vote, saying, “House Republicans achieved a conservative policy victory, rejecting extreme Democratic proposals and imposing deep cuts while significantly strengthening our national defense.” said.
He said the process was “an important step in breaking the omnibus muscle memory” that has become routine in recent years of cramming the equivalent of 12 bills of federal spending into one giant bill and passing it with little scrutiny. mentioned the practice. He also said this “represents the best possible outcome in divided government,” hinting at the limits of Republican power with Democrats controlling the Senate and White House.
But Republican critics noted that the process for funding the government remains unchanged. Mr Johnson passed not one, but two huge pieces of legislation. And he said the Speaker should have fought more seriously for his priorities.
On Friday morning before the vote, Greene told former Trump administration adviser Stephen K. Bannon’s “War Room” show that she was considering “right now” whether to call for Johnson’s removal. Ta. In minutes. ”
“Our majority has been completely handed over to the Democrats,” Green said on the floor shortly before introducing the motion, echoing complaints from her party’s far-right members that the spending package agreed to by Johnson was a failure for the party. The majority of them.
“This was our power. This was our power. This was our chance to secure the border and he didn’t do it,” Greene said Friday before leaving the Capitol. told reporters. “That’s a betrayal.”
If brought to a vote, Greene’s resolution would suggest that lawmakers used a tool that has been used more often by disgruntled members to intimidate the speaker than as a genuine effort to oust them. This is the second such case in over 100 years.
If Ms Green moves to press the issue, she could face the difficult task of mustering a majority to remove Mr Johnson. House Republicans are wary of a return to the chaos that paralyzed the chamber for weeks after Mr. McCarthy’s ouster.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who led the effort to remove Mr. McCarthy from office, told reporters on Thursday that he intended to meet Mr. Johnson with the same fate because doing so would risk allowing a Democrat to be elected. He said no.
And while Democrats unanimously supported replacing Mr. McCarthy last fall, they have recently signaled a willingness to rescue Mr. Johnson if he faces a similar threat. Minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York said a “significant number” of fellow Democrats would protect the Republican speaker from removal if he faced a Republican revolt for allowing a vote on the foreign aid bill. He told the New York Times that he believed that he would be able to do so. This includes funding for Ukraine.
Asked Friday about the possibility of Democrats joining a coalition to save the Republican chairman, Jeffries said his previous comments were “observations, not declarations,” adding, “We need to talk to members about the best way forward.” Yes,” he added. Continue. “
Karl Hulse and luke broadwater Contributed to the report.
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