House conservatives are monitoring their Democratic counterparts suspiciously, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., led a statement pledging to protect Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from a GOP-led ouster threat. Some conservatives, like Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., worry that the Democrats’ public support may be a ploy to ultimately remove Johnson from office. The Democrats released a joint statement on Tuesday indicating they would block a House-wide vote on ousting Johnson by voting to table the motion, known as a motion to vacate the chair. This procedural move would prevent the House from voting on the motion itself.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is spearheading the GOP efforts to trigger a vote to remove Johnson from House leadership in protest of his bipartisan actions on government funding and foreign aid. Many lawmakers suspect that Democrats’ announcement was intended to push Greene into initiating the vote. Some lawmakers, like Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., believe this strategy is questionable and could have consequences. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also expressed doubts about the Democrats’ motives, questioning why they were defending Johnson when they had supported the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October.
Since Greene initiated the resolution almost 40 days ago, only two other representatives, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., have signed on as co-sponsors. The resolution has not gained significant traction within the GOP, as even members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus have distanced themselves from the push to remove Johnson. Despite the lack of widespread support within the Republican Party, Greene could force a vote by declaring her resolution as “privileged” on the House floor. However, she has not yet indicated if she plans to take this step.
House Democratic leaders, Jeffries, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., emphasized their commitment to putting “people over politics” and working with traditional Republicans to deliver tangible results. They also stated that they would vote to table Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair and believed that it would not succeed if she invokes the motion. Johnson appeared surprised by the announcement during his regular press conference, indicating that it was the first he had heard of it. Greene responded to the Democrats’ support of Johnson by accusing him of making a backroom deal with Democrats for their endorsement.
Overall, tensions are running high in the House as conservative lawmakers clash with their Democratic counterparts over the possible ousting of Speaker Johnson. House conservatives are wary of the Democrats’ intentions and suspect that the public support for Johnson may not be genuine. The possibility of Greene forcing a vote on removing Johnson adds further uncertainty to the situation. Despite these challenges, both parties are focusing on their priorities and agendas, with Democrats emphasizing bipartisan cooperation and Republicans pushing for America First policies. The outcome of this situation remains unclear, as both sides navigate the complex dynamics of House politics.
