GOP Turmoil: Greene's Ultimatum to Speaker Johnson Rocks Capitol Hill

GOP Turmoil: Greene's Ultimatum to Speaker Johnson Rocks Capitol Hill

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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) presented a series of requests to House Speaker Mike Johnson, but indicated hesitation about proceeding with a vote to remove him this week following backlash from other Republicans and former President Donald Trump.

The meeting between Johnson, Greene, and her ally Representative Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) marked the second such meeting in two days, occurring after Greene had previously vowed to call for a vote in her unlikely attempt to unseat the speaker. Johnson remarked prior to the meeting, "It's not a negotiation at all. I take Marjorie's and Thomas's ideas, along with everyone else's, and assess them based on their individual merits."

Greene, who initially made the threat of a vote back in March, accuses Johnson of aligning with Democrats on spending bills, funding for Ukraine, and other issues. Last week, she stated her intention to call for a vote this week to remove him as speaker. In discussions with Johnson, Greene and Massie are insisting that he agree to several demands: no bill passes without majority Republican support, no further funding for Ukraine, defunding of special counsels, and a 1% reduction in any short-term spending deal to fund the government.

"These are not unreasonable requests. These are the right things to do," Greene said. However, she declined to comment on whether she still planned to force a vote to remove Johnson this week. "Right now, the ball is in Mike Johnson's court," she said. "He understands that he needs to be our Republican speaker of the House."

Trump, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, stated during a joint appearance with Johnson last month that the new speaker was "doing about as well as you're going to do."

The former president reportedly spoke with Greene by phone last week to express his disapproval of her efforts to oust Johnson. Trump warned her that such actions could destabilize the party ahead of his anticipated rematch with President Biden this fall.

A source close to Trump stated that while the former president doesn't always agree with Johnson, he believes Johnson means well. Trump reportedly feels that the party "needs to be fighting on the outside, not inside." While Trump has not distanced himself from Greene, the source noted that she is not currently his top priority. Greene has declined to discuss her conversations with Trump.

When asked on Tuesday about whether he expected to remain party leader next year—a question that remains open—Johnson responded that he intended to lead the conference in the future. He also expressed gratitude for President Trump's support.

Most Republicans are not eager for another vote on the speaker, and House Democratic leaders have indicated they would support Johnson against any effort by dissident Republicans to remove him. This is in contrast to last year, when Democrats aided eight rebel Republicans in ousting then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Representative Carlos Gimenez (R., Fla.), an ally of Johnson, suggested that Greene might be seeking a way out or at least a means to save face. Gimenez stated that he would advise Johnson not to agree to any of Greene's demands. "You never negotiate under threats like that," he remarked.

Under current House rules, any single member can make a motion to vacate the chair, thereby removing the current speaker and triggering a new election. Greene filed her motion in March, expressing anger at Johnson for relying on Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown. She was further incensed by his support for bipartisan bills to fund Ukraine aid and reauthorize a surveillance bill. She stated last week that she intended to bring up her motion this week as a privileged motion, giving it special consideration ahead of other business and forcing the speaker to schedule a vote within two legislative days.

In October, when eight Republicans and all Democrats voted to remove McCarthy, it was the first time in history that the motion to vacate had successfully been used to oust a speaker. This was followed by three weeks of Republican infighting and turbulence before Johnson was finally elected, with the support of all Republicans but no Democrats, on October 25.

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