House passes rule change making it harder to oust Johnson as speaker

The House passed its rules package for the 119th Congress on Friday, approving a change that makes it more difficult to oust the speaker and reserving that right for the majority party alone.

The rules package, which passed in a 215-209 vote, requires nine members of the majority party to co-sponsor a motion to vacate the speaker from the top leadership position, up from current rules that only require one. The change offers some breathing room for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he enters his first full term as speaker, especially after he faced initial opposition to secure the gavel earlier in the day.