(USNewsBreak.com)—Displeased with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) efforts to work across the aisle with Democrats, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate in March. While she said her action was merely a warning to the speaker that his role wasn’t safe, she says she has decided to move forward with a vote.
On Wednesday, May 1, Greene said she would call for a vote the following week to oust Johnson. In recent weeks, other hardliner Republicans, including Reps. Thomas Massie (KY) and Paul Gosar (AZ), have supported Greene’s motion. The Georgia lawmaker said that since Johnson has taken on the speaker role, “He has become a man that none of us recognize.”
However, Greene is unlikely to succeed. House Democrats, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have signaled that they will not align with Greene. Instead, they will help Johnson keep his job. In a statement, Jeffries said that if Greene “invokes the motion, it will not succeed.” He is trying to avoid another lengthy period without leadership in the lower chamber, such as when the Republican caucus required 15 ballots to confirm former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his subsequent ouster, which resulted in a three-week vacancy.
For his part, Johnson has staunchly refused to cower to demands to step down from the role. Regarding Greene’s actions, he said, “This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country.” When asked about Jeffries’ statement, the speaker said he hadn’t heard about it or discussed the situation with the minority leader.
Despite Democrats’ willingness to protect Johnson, there’s still bound to be a measure of chaos in the House if the vote comes to pass. Greene’s actions display that there is still a great divide in the Republican Party between more traditional GOP members and the MAGA faction.
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