By LISA MASCARO (AP Congressional Correspondent)
In Washington, Hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is stepping up her criticism of House Speaker Mike Johnson, denouncing his leadership in a long letter to colleagues and once again threatening a sudden vote to remove him from his position.
When lawmakers came back to work on Tuesday after a two-week spring break, the Georgia congresswoman's new attack brought the still-new speaker back into the chaos within the Republican party, which has been the defining feature of GOP House control and is causing problems with productivity. Johnson might not be able to perform the basic duties of his job.
“Today, I sent a letter to my colleagues explaining exactly why I filed a motion to vacate against Speaker Johnson,” Greene said on social media about the procedural tool that could force the quick vote.
Greene strongly warned Johnson not to work with Democrats to get votes needed to pass pending legislation that hard-right Republicans disagree with, especially the Ukraine aid. That aid package and other agenda items are now in serious doubt.
“I will not tolerate this type of Republican ‘leadership,’” wrote Greene, a top ally of presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, in the five-page letter first reported by The New York Times.
The standoff threatens to leave the House in another deadlock, giving the Republican majority a reputation of inactivity after months of turmoil that has led some experienced lawmakers to leave their positions.
This comes at a time when Congress usually pushes through several priorities in the springtime before focusing on the November election campaigns.
For Johnson, who took the position just six months ago after the House removed Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s post, this is a response to his efforts to work with Democrats to keep the government running by compromising on crucial legislation to fund federal operations and prevent a shutdown.
Working with Democrats is essentially the only way Johnson can pass any bills because he has a small majority and faces strong opposition from his right flank. He can only afford to lose a few Republicans from his ranks on most votes.
Greene, who filed the motion to remove the speaker before lawmakers went on spring break in March, has not said if she will bring it up for a vote and her next actions are uncertain.
Other Republicans, including some of the eight who voted to remove McCarthy, the California Republican who has since retired from Congress, have become less enthusiastic about Greene’s efforts, trying to avoid another spectacle. McCarthy’s removal left the House essentially closed for almost a month last fall as Republicans argued over a new leader.
And Democrats led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York have indicated they may support Johnson, a courtesy they did not extend to McCarthy, which could keep the Louisiana Republican in his job in a bipartisan effort to keep the House open and functioning.
However, Greene has made it clear during a lively town hall in her home district in Georgia late Monday and in the harsh letter delivered on Tuesday as lawmakers returned to work, that there is a threat hanging over Johnson if he seeks to work with Democrats.
She wrote a letter outlining the promises Johnson made to Republicans when he became speaker and listed ways in which she claims he broke them, such as passing spending bills with policies many Republicans oppose and not including legislation with Republican proposals for securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
She stated that the actions taken have angered the Republican base and provided little reason to vote for a Republican House majority, calling it a complete surrender to the Democrats' agenda that has upset the Republican base.
