Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is threatening a bid to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from power over his endorsement of a bipartisan spending deal that’s expected to pass through Congress this week.
Appearing on Steve Bannon’s podcast Friday morning, Greene accused Johnson of giving too much away to President Biden and Democrats in the course of the government funding negotiations and suggested she’s seriously weighing a move to file a motion to vacate the Speakership — the same procedural maneuver that toppled Johnson’s predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“We are making that decision on a minute-by-minute basis today, Steve, and I think you can stay tuned,” she told Bannon.
Pressed by Bannon if she’ll lead the charge in an effort to oust Johnson, Greene again suggested a motion to vacate might be imminent.
“We are going to be making decisions on a minute-by-minute basis today, and I urge you to watch and see what happens,” she said.
The remarks came shortly before the House is scheduled to vote on a $1.2 trillion government funding package, known as a minibus, that combines the final six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024. Johnson had endorsed the package earlier in the week after a marathon round of negotiations between congressional leaders in Congress and the White House, and it’s expected to pass through the chamber with bipartisan support just hours before large parts of the government are scheduled to shut down.
Johnson has claimed a number of victories for conservatives in the package, while acknowledging that the nature of the divided powers in Washington meant Republicans were not able to secure everything they wanted.
That argument has fallen short with House conservatives, who are accusing the Speaker of giving away the store to the Democrats, with too little to show for his own party.
“This is the worst possible scenario for Republicans, and it signals to the entire country that Republicans are not in control of the House of Representatives, the Democrats are. And that instead of Mike Johnson and Republicans being in control of the Speaker, Chuck Schumer is in control,” Greene told Bannon.
It’s unclear if, or when, Greene will actually follow through with the threat. It’s also uncertain she would find enough support to remove Johnson from power if she did. That’s because a number of Democrats — who had voted unanimously in support of McCarthy’s removal — say they would help to rescue Johnson if he continues to cut bipartisan deals with Biden on issues like government funding and Ukraine aid.
Johnson has refused to consider a Senate-passed foreign aid package, which includes billions of dollars for Ukraine, but is vowing to work on a House version of the legislation when Congress returns to Washington in the middle of next month after a long holiday recess.
Updated at 11:19 a.m.
