Marjorie Taylor Greene files motion to remove Mike Johnson as House speaker
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has filed a motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role in the House of Representatives.
Greene opted to take the action because she took issue with a bipartisan $1.2 trillion funding bill that Johnson supported to prevent a government shutdown and said he has failed to address the ongoing illegal immigration crisis at the southern border.
The spending bill, which funds the government for the current fiscal year, passed the House by a vote of 286-134, which met the two-thirds majority needed to pass with expedience.
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On Friday afternoon, Greene took to X to post a photo of the one-page House resolution, which stated that “the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.”
“We need a Speaker of the House who will fight to secure America’s border at all cost,” she tweeted on Thursday. “Not one that passes a trillion dollar Democrat wish list that continues the border invasion, funds the weaponized government, and breaks our own conference rules.”
“I’m done with this one.”
In an interview with Newsmax, Greene explained that while she doesn't “want to throw our House into chaos,” she filed the motion “because we absolutely have to find a speaker that is going to lead the House of Representatives for our Republican values.”
Greene added that the bill funded abortions, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and trans ideology, and claimed that Johnson “gave up every ounce of negotiating power.”
In response, Johnson spokesperson Raj Shah released a statement saying that while “Johnson always listens to the concerns of members” he is primarily “focused on governing.”
“He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority,” stated Shah.
Greene did not ask for her motion to be brought up for an immediate vote, however she can bring up a House-wide vote of no confidence for the speaker at any time, according to current rules, reported Yahoo News.
Johnson became speaker of the House last October after three weeks of debate, replacing Republican Kevin McCarthy of California, after he was removed via a motion to remove him.
In a statement released at the time, Johnson, who had served in Congress since 2017, said it was “the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House.”
“As Speaker, I will ensure the House delivers results and inspires change for the American people. We will restore trust in this body,” Johnson said last year.
“We will advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the harmful policies of the Biden Administration, and support our allies abroad. And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it. Let’s get back to work.”
