House Republicans Divided over Greene’s Attempt to Oust Johnson as Speaker, Backlash from Both Sides Expected

In response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Johnson has faced a motion to vacate his position, which was filed by Greene in March in protest of his handling of government funding and foreign aid. This motion, known as a privileged resolution, requires a vote from the House within two legislative days. Greene has gained support from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ), bringing the total number of backers to 13. However, the move is largely falling flat among the House GOP, with little appetite for further chaos after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in October. Even Johnson’s critics are hesitant to go through another three weeks of disruption, as it falls just six months before an election, and the House GOP only has a slim majority of two seats. Furthermore, House Democrats have pledged to come to Johnson’s aid by voting to table the resolution, which essentially kills the motion, allowing them to block Johnson’s ouster without directly voting against him. Despite this, Greene has accused Johnson of not representing the interests of his own party, citing the support of the entire Democrat Party, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Johnson has repeatedly stated that he is not afraid of Greene’s threats and remains focused on governance. The House is expected to vote on the motion to vacate within the next two legislative days, and it is predicted to ultimately fail due to the lack of support from both Republicans and Democrats.