Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene submits a request to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson as a result of the spending agreement.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene submits a request to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson as a result of the spending agreement.

Washington — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Friday laid the groundwork for an eventual vote to strip House Speaker Mike Johnson of the gavel as lawmakers approved a $1.2 trillion spending package

to prevent a partial shutdown of the government.

Greene opposed the sweeping package, which encompassed six spending bills, and urged Johnson not to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote, calling it a “Democrat-controlled bill” in the GOP-led House.

A Republican from Georgia has stated that she does not have a set schedule for bringing the resolution, which is called a motion to vacate, to a vote. She described it as a warning and a pink slip. If she does decide to bring it up, the House will have two days to respond. Due to a scheduled two-week break after Friday’s votes, any potential action would be delayed. The House could also choose to dismiss Greene’s motion, effectively ending it.

I have only held this position for a period of five months.

approved the budget bill negotiated with Democratic leaders and the White House, and said it included several key policy wins for his party. But Greene claimed that Johnson “handed over every ounce of negotiating power” to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats.

“Republicans had the power of the purse. This was our power. This was our leverage,” she told reporters outside the Capitol after the vote on the legislative package. “This was our chance to secure the border, and he didn’t do it.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the media on the House steps of the Capitol after filing her motion to vacate targeting Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday, March 22, 2024.

On Friday, March 22, 2024, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene talked to reporters on the steps of the Capitol building about her motion to remove Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images


Greene accused Johnson of betraying his promises to Republican lawmakers and criticized him for breaking a conference rule that gives lawmakers 72 hours to review legislation before voting. Text of the sweeping spending package approved by the House was unveiled early Thursday morning.

“We require competent leaders who possess the ability to stand their ground and not be influenced by the deep state or the Democratic party, and who will not compromise their principles for the sake of retaining power and status,” she stated. “We need a House speaker who truly represents the needs and interests of the people.”

Later, she mentioned, “We require a different speaker.”

When questioned about Democrats potentially resisting Johnson’s removal, Greene stated that Republican voters would not support their intervention to defend the speaker.

Greene stated that she believes the American public, including Republican voters nationwide, do not desire a Republican speaker who is only able to maintain their position because of the support from Democrats. She believes that this is not what the people truly want.

During a podcast interview with far-right commentator Steve Bannon, she hinted at the possibility of attempting to remove Johnson from his position. She also urged him to keep an eye out for any developments.

The motion to vacate

400-239 vote.

The request to remove him was done using the same procedure which caused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to step down with a vote of 400 to 239.historic vote2 year

Last year, the 2 year term was subjected to the regulations set by the House GOP.single member

There is potential for a motion of disapproval against the speaker, as demonstrated by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a Republican, when McCarthy used the support of Democrats to approve a budget for federal agencies in early October.

Eight Republican representatives, including Gaetz, joined forces with Democratic members to dismiss McCarthy, making it the first instance of a speaker being ousted through a vote of no-confidence. This left the House without a speaker and created a void in the leadership of the GOP conference for several weeks as Republicans grappled with selecting a new leader who could unite their divided party.

After a tumultuous three-week period that halted House legislative proceedings and caused turmoil within the GOP conference, Johnson became the successor to McCarty and received unanimous backing from the 220 Republican voters for speaker.

It is uncertain if House Republicans are prepared to make another effort to remove the speaker, something that may occur as the 2024 election approaches. A few Democrats have expressed willingness to assist Johnson in the event that the House votes to impeach him.

in the Republican party

Johnson’s choice to collaborate with Democrats on the most recent spending plan, as well as his backing of other members within the Republican party.bipartisan spending measures

This places him on a comparable trajectory to his predecessor, as both have faced disapproval from extreme conservative members of the Republican Party who accused them of relinquishing too much influence to Democrats.

The latest plan that triggered Greene’s motion was approved by a vote of 286 to 134. It funds roughly three-quarters of the federal government through September. Another package that funds the remainder of the government was approved by Congress

The document was endorsed by President Biden in the beginning of this month.

The package consisted of funding for multiple government departments, including Homeland Security, State, Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, as well as provisions for foreign operations, financial services, and the legislative branch. The Senate must now vote on the package in order to prevent any interruptions in funding.

Reporting was contributed by Nikole Killion and Ellis Kim.

Melissa Quinn

Source: cbsnews.com