Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) will move forward with plans to force a confidence vote on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) despite assurances from Democratic leaders to step in to block the effort should it come to the House floor.
Greene will call the motion forward next week, putting a notice on the legislation that would require GOP leaders to bring it to the floor within two legislative days, the Georgia Republican announced on Wednesday. Such a move would tee up the motion for a vote when lawmakers return next week.
”I’m excited about it. And also can’t wait to see my Republican conference show their cards and show who we are. Because voters deserve it,” Greene said.
Greene pointed to Johnson’s tenure as speaker over the last six months, arguing that despite once being a hard-liner himself, the top Republican has since moved to advance Democratic priorities.
“We have a Speaker Mike Johnson that we all — by the way, I elected him. I voted for that man,” Greene said. “It wasn’t a choice of America. It was a choice within our Republican Conference.”
“So I entered a motion to vacate, but I didn’t call it for a vote. I was controlled. I was responsible,” she added. “I was being conscious and caring about my conference and our majority. It was a warning to stop serving the Democrats and support our Republican Conference and support our agenda. And he didn’t do it.”
The move comes nearly one month after Greene initially filed the motion, holding it over Johnson’s head as he plotted a path forward on foreign aid and other key pieces of legislation. Since then, two other Republicans co-sponsored Greene’s motion, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who was also at the press conference on Wednesday.
Massie has repeatedly called on Johnson to resign voluntarily, giving Republicans an opportunity to choose a new speaker without repeating the three-week period in October when the House went without a speaker and all floor action was stalled.
“I think she’s gone about this in a very reasonable way,” Massie said. “She’s given the speaker multiple chances to resign to lean, and instead, he’s clinging to power by clinging to Democrats.”
Johnson has remained defiant not to do so, responding to the motion to vacate threat in a one-sentence statement on Tuesday: “This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.”
Johnson also brushed off the threat in an interview with NewsNation on Tuesday, telling the outlet that Greene is “not a serious lawmaker.”
The move comes as House Democratic leadership came out against the motion to vacate on Tuesday, vowing to table the legislation should it come to the floor. That decision gives Johnson considerable cover because several House Republicans have also expressed opposition to removing the speaker — possibly making the motion dead on arrival.
Greene has refused to back down from her threats, saying she would give Democrats “the chance” to elect him as their speaker.
“I can’t wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again,” Greene said.
Democrats have pushed back on suggestions that a table to motion would indicate support for Johnson’s speakership, instead posing it as a way to avoid another leaderless period in the lower chamber.
“None of the discussion that we had in caucus was about saving Mike Johnson. The underlying motion debate was not discussed. The motion to table was, and there is a distinction there,” Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said on Tuesday. “We want to turn the page and focus on the pressing issues that everyday Americans care about. And spending time on this just doesn’t make sense to us.”
Republicans hold a slim majority of 217-213, meaning the party can only afford to lose one vote on any given measure to pass the lower chamber if all Democrats vote to table the motion. Although it’s possible to have a handful of Democratic defections, there appears to be a substantial number of Republicans to tank the measure.
“There just isn’t a will amongst the conference to something that drastic,” Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said. “I mean, clearly, there are members that are dissatisfied, but that’s nothing new to Capitol Hill.”
“You guys are the only ones talking about that right now,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said. “I mean, mostly our constituents are — they’re mad about the [foreign aid] vote, but they want us to, you know, unite with purpose and go beat Democrats in the fall.”
However, Greene has refused to walk back on forcing a vote on the matter, putting her GOP colleagues in a tough position as they stare down a vote next week. Greene said she would give lawmakers the weekend to reconsider their positions, with Massie adding it would give Johnson time to consider resigning “because he knows what’s coming next week.”
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The vote could also put Greene at odds with former President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress as the former president has come out in support of Johnson’s leadership. However, Greene has rejected suggestions she is defying Trump’s wishes, arguing she is the former president’s strongest supporter on Capitol Hill.
It’s unclear who Republicans would tap as Johnson’s replacement, with both Greene and Massie noting there is no short list of possible contenders. However, Massie cited “at least a dozen members of our conference who either politically or privately have done things in their life that qualify them to lead” — something he said Johnson has lacked since taking up the gavel.
