MTG continues to threaten Speaker Johnson with a vote of no confidence
But both Democrats and Republicans seem completely adverse to the idea.
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Following calls by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from his post as the leader of Congress, Democrats are preparing to protect Johnson from being ousted.
Despite receiving a vote of confidence from former President Donald Trump on multiple occasions over the past month, Greene has become more vocal about her intentions over the past few days — especially after Johnson helped secure a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Opposition to providing funding to Ukraine as it attempts to thwart the Russian invasion has become a key political point of MAGA isolationists like Greene.
“It’s baffling hearing the establishment complain that it’s too much drama, too hard, and too risky to go through another Speaker race,” Greene wrote yesterday on X, reaffirming comments she made over the weekend in a Fox News interview, where she said Johnson needs to “do the right thing and resign ... If he doesn't do so, he will be vacated."
Greene’s convictions have been backed by far-right members of Congress like Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ).
Yet following Johnson’s acquiescence to efforts by the Democrats to deliver more military funding to Ukraine, liberal members of Congress have voiced support for the speaker and said they would not support a vote to dethrone him.
“I’m not inclined to reward extreme politicians who want to punish the speaker for working across the aisle and sending long-awaited aid to our allies, and I expect many of my colleagues feel the same way,” one member of Congress, Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), told Politico.
Other Democrats echoed that sentiment in the media, contrasting Johnson’s tenure with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“I don’t think my constituents wanted to see me save Kevin McCarthy. I think they saw a lot of hair gel,” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (D-WA) said in an interview with the Atlantic today. “I think they see Mike Johnson as different. I think they want me to save him. They’re tired of chaos, regardless of party.”
However, the change in tune is a bit jarring. It was not long ago that liberal legislators, Beltway stalwarts and policy gurus were condemning Johnson as the most extreme speaker to date — and one who could potentially derail the 2024 presidential election.
“Mild-mannered Mike Johnson is a no-holds-barred, hold-on-to-power-at-all-costs election denier,” the Brennan Center for Justice warned last October. “How could this matter in 2024? It seems clear the election deniers won’t wait until the actual election this time. Their bid to subvert the results will start well before ballots are cast and counted. Johnson may preside over key proceedings.”
But even on the conservative side of the aisle (albeit more for the sake of party unity than maintaining a functioning branch of government), Greene’s efforts to cause more chaos for Republican leadership has been condemned by GOP officials and conservative pundits alike.
“[Greene] would rather burn down the House, metaphorically speaking, than work towards the greater good,” Liz Peek, a Fox News contributor said in a recent op-ed. “The greater good, unless she and her fellow discontents in Congress have forgotten, is defeating Joe Biden in November.”
"I think she's uninformed. She is a total waste of time…She is a horrible leader. She is dragging our brand down,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) concurred last night.
“She — not the Democrats — are the biggest risk to us getting back to a majority.”