The Progressive American

After consistent chaos by the House GOP, it looks like Speaker Mike Johnson may face a revolt. It will only hurt the GOP.

Republicans are at it again. Despite struggling to govern and maintain a strong majority in the House effectively, some Republicans are once again considering removing the Speaker of the House. 

The GOP Fights Itself

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Rep. Thomas Massie (Rep-Ky) called on Speaker Mike Johnson to resign his position and announced that he had signed on to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga) motion to vacate. The motion, which Rep. Greene filed in March, would remove Speaker Johnson from his position with a simple majority vote. 

Previously, the Republican Majority removed their Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Rep-Ca), with a vote of 216-to-210. It was the first and only time a Speaker of the House has been removed in history. While Democrats could theoretically save Speaker Johnson, that is unlikely as they previously voted with Republicans to oust McCarthy amid Republican infighting, using the removal as an example of the large-scale dysfunction with the House GOP. 

The call for Johnson’s removal comes amid a tense and ongoing fight about foreign aid and spending, which Johnson has attempted to balance as Democrats and Republicans fight over funding for Israel and Ukraine. Despite the clear dangers of letting Ukraine face Russian aggression without support, Republicans have balked at continued support despite the relatively low cost. 

Johnson has attempted to thread the needle between these competing interests, announcing a plan to separate funding for the two nations from one another in the hopes of passing them on separate grounds. However, that may not be enough for the far-right members of the House GOP. 

How Not to Govern

All legislative work in the House would come to a grinding halt, and the next several days or more would be dedicated to finding a new speaker. For context, the last time the GOP had to decide who would lead them in the House, it took four days and fifteen votes to choose McCarthy. Who, again, they later removed. 

All of this is to say that any move to oust Speaker Johnson would inevitably bring chaos back to the House if it isn’t there already. It would demonstrate again that the House Republicans are entirely uninterested in governing effectively and that their failure to push through a serious agenda is a feature, not a bug of their majority. 

So, if Representatives Greene and Massie want to remove Speaker Johnson, they should follow through. Nobody is stopping them from undermining their party or illustrating once again why Americans shouldn’t vote for the GOP in November. 

While it is hard to know for certain if they will cross that line, I can’t help but hope they are foolish enough to try. 

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References

Bennett, John. 2023. “McCarthy Becomes First Speaker in History Ousted – Roll Call.” https://rollcall.com/2023/10/03/mccarthy-becomes-first-speaker-in-history-ousted/ (April 16, 2024).

Caldwell, Leigh Ann, and Marianna Sotomayor. 2024. “Johnson Gambles on Plan Separating Israel Aid from Ukraine Funds.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/ (April 16, 2024).

Kelly, Conor. 2023. “Vivek Ramaswamy’s Attacks on Ukraine Are Ridiculous.” The Polis. https://medium.com/the-polis/vivek-ramaswamys-attacks-on-ukraine-are-ridiculous-220851f5fac5?sk=b7656030c5ca4ad2796e2f665b8b97dc (April 16, 2024).

Kelly, Conor. “Biden Polling Improves: A Possible Sign for Growing Strength – Progressive American.” https://theprogressiveamerican.com/2024/03/26/biden-polling-improves-a-possible-sign-for-growing-strength/ (April 16, 2024).

McPherson, Lindsey, et al., “McCarthy Wins Speaker Election, Finally – Roll Call.” https://rollcall.com/2023/01/07/mccarthy-wins-speaker-election-finally/ (April 16, 2024).

Quinn, Melissa. 2024. “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Motion to Oust House Speaker Mike Johnson over Spending Deal – CBS News.” CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-mike-johnson-house-speaker-motion-to-vacate/ (April 16, 2024).

Sotomayor, Marianna, and Leigh Ann Caldwell. 2024. “Momentum Builds to Oust Johnson from House Speakership.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/16/mike-johnson-house-speaker-ukraine-israel-greene-massie/ (April 16, 2024).

Vergun, David. “Official Says Without U.S. Funding, Ukraine’s Defense Will Likely Collapse.” U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3679991/official-says-without-us-funding-ukraines-defense-will-likely-collapse/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.defense.gov%2FNews%2FNews-Stories%2FArticle%2FArticle%2F3679991%2Fofficial-says-without-us-funding-ukraines-defense-will-likely-collapse%2F (April 16, 2024).

Yilek, Caitlin. 2024. “Marjorie Taylor Green Renews Threat to Oust Speaker Mike Johnson – CBS News.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marjorie-taylor-green-letter-mike-johnson-ouster/ (April 16, 2024).

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