By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)
In Washington, Speaker Mike Johnson might be removed because hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene filed a “motion to vacate” on Friday during a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package.
Similar to the situation that led to the removal of the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago, this one has less GOP support and faces challenges.
The House is set to leave town for a two-week spring recess at the end of Friday’s session, so it's unlikely that a vote on removing Johnson, of Louisiana, would happen soon.
Johnson's spokesman, Raj Shah, stated, “Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members but is focused on governing. He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.”
According to the rules, any member can make the motion privileged, which would require leaders to schedule a vote within two legislative days. But it can also simply sit until lawmakers return next month.
However, the threat of removal, the ultimate punishment for a speaker, will hang over Johnson’s young speakership, just months on the job.
Until McCarthy’s dramatic removal last fall, no speaker had been removed this way, which caused chaos and essentially closed the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.
Greene is a leading ally of the Republicans’ presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former president Donald Trump, and McCarthy, of California, was toppled by a similar contingent of far-right Republicans led at the time by Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
The Georgia congresswoman has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
Johnson, who has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, has nevertheless promised to fund Ukraine as the a next priority.
With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House.
He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted, unless Democrats jump in with their votes to protect him.
Nonetheless, many Republicans in Congress were ashamed by McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which revealed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.
The night before Friday’s voting, Gaetz warned against trying to oust Johnson, saying that Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard of political situation.
However, due to the infighting among Republicans, this scenario may unfold as they attempt to restore normalcy in Congress.
