House Democrats have shut down any possibility of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ousting Speaker Mike Johnson by committing to kill any motion to vacate the Republican leader. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar stated that they were ready to move on from the obstruction caused by Pro-Putin Republicans like Greene. They announced that they would vote to table Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair, ensuring that it would not succeed.
When Johnson held a press conference following the announcement, he expressed surprise and stated that he had not discussed the move with Jeffries or made any deals regarding future legislation. Despite this, Greene called on Johnson to resign and switch his party affiliation to vote on Democratic items. She challenged the Democrats to elect him as Speaker if they wanted to, claiming that she believed in transparency and wanted every vote to be recorded for the public to see.
Greene, along with Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Paul Gosar, signed onto a motion to vacate Johnson after he collaborated with Democrats to pass $95 billion in military and humanitarian aid funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This move earned Greene the nickname “Moscow Marjorie” from both parties, as they saw her obstruction as favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following the passing of the aid funding package, Greene and Massie accused Johnson of betraying Republican efforts to secure the US border, control federal spending, and protect citizens from warrantless surveillance by intelligence agencies. They labeled him a “lame-duck speaker” and highlighted his struggles with fundraising compared to Kevin McCarthy, his predecessor. Greene vowed to show the American people the Uniparty on full display by pushing for Johnson’s ousting.
While some Republicans, such as Bob Good, expressed support for Johnson’s replacement in the next Congress, others like Newt Gingrich defended Johnson’s difficult position as Speaker. Even critics of McCarthy, who was removed in October, have declined to support Greene’s motion to vacate Johnson. Representatives Matt Gaetz and Anna Paulina Luna explained that they did not support Johnson’s actions but were hesitant to risk giving control to the Democrats by supporting Greene’s motion. Ultimately, House Republicans hold a slim majority, and Democrats were expected to gain an additional seat in a special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins.
