House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) suffered two major losses on Tuesday that could see his control of the gavel come under fresh scrutiny.
After the House failed to pass a resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and rejected an Israel-only aid bill, with multiple Republicans defying their leader, some GOP figures were quick to criticize the speaker.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) condemned Republican leadership’s strategy over the Mayorkas impeachment. “I would have thought they would have known that. I would have thought that would have been basic,” Norman told CNN about whipping votes.
“They’re good on the other side of knowing that. Is it that hard?”
Before the unsuccessful vote on the Israel aid bill, a Republican aide floated the idea of vacating the speakership if the evening yielded another failed measure.
“If we lose the Israel vote after losing Mayorkas impeachment: VACATE,” a senior GOP aide said, per Stephen Neukam.
Republican sources also told the Washington Examiner that Johnson’s speakership must be up for debate after Tuesday’s losses.
On Tuesday, House Democrats rejected two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas with the help of some Republicans — Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Mike Gallagher (R-WI). In a move that allows the chamber to bring up the vote later when the conference is in full attendance, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), the vice chairman of the GOP conference, switched his vote to “no.”
Tuesday night’s vote was a test of Johnson and his allies’ ability to whip up enough GOP votes to unite the conference in ousting Mayorkas. Johnson’s thwarted efforts serve as another mark on the running list of complaints held by hard-right lawmakers against the House speaker.
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Right after the vote to impeach Mayorkas failed, the House was unable to advance Johnson’s $17.6 billion bill in assistance to Israel on Tuesday, with 166 Democrats and 14 Republicans opposing the measure, including several House Freedom Caucus members.
In January, some members of the House Freedom Caucus teased a motion to vacate Johnson if the terms of a spending deal with Senate Democrats were not changed, threatening the same fate as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
