GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia sent a letter to her Republican colleagues accusing House Speaker Mike Johnson of failing to deliver on promises and breaking legislative procedural rules. She blamed him for jeopardizing the House Republican majority and not serving his GOP conference. Johnson has attempted to downplay the threat and has faced constraints due to a narrow House majority, Democratic-controlled Senate, and White House. Greene warned she would not tolerate Johnson’s push for more aid to Ukraine and reauthorization of a law allowing warrantless surveillance.
With the House Republicans’ narrowest majority yet and upcoming resignations, any single lawmaker can force a vote on Johnson’s removal, making governing challenging. While some House Republicans have voiced frustration with Johnson, few have echoed Greene’s call to remove him. A significant number fear returning to the chaos that followed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last year. Johnson has argued against a vote for his removal, stating it would not serve the party’s mission of expanding their majority or saving the republic.
Greene’s letter sent on the day the House returns from recess escalates tensions with Johnson and adds to inter-party divisions. She critiqued Johnson for aligning with the Democrats’ agenda, damaging Republican chances of retaining the House majority in November. Efforts to dissuade Greene from moving forward with the process include concerns that removing Johnson would hand Democrats the House majority. Greene dismissed this argument in her letter to colleagues, stating that electing a new Republican speaker would not benefit the Democrats.
At present, Greene’s motion to oust Johnson remains symbolic, with no initiation of a vote. Concerns over repeating the dysfunction that ensued during McCarthy’s ouster have led colleagues to oppose Greene’s efforts. The fear is that removing Johnson would only benefit Democrats, complicating efforts to retain the House majority. Greene has not indicated how much support she has for Johnson’s removal, but with challenging governing conditions, every vote counts, especially with the House Republicans’ narrow majority. There is division within the party on whether Johnson should be removed and the potential consequences of such action.
