After weeks of threatening House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) job, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is finally moving forward with her motion to vacate — putting the firebrand Republican at odds with many in her party, including former President Donald Trump.
Greene announced she would bring the motion to the floor next week even as several Republican lawmakers have already indicated they would oppose the measure, likely making it dead on arrival as Democrats have also vowed to block the measure. However, the Georgia Republican has refused to back down even as many of her allies on the right have voiced concerns it could cost them their majority next year.
“That’s exactly why we have to do this. We have to win in November. We have to have a majority in the House,” Greene said on Wednesday. “We’re not going to have a House majority if we keep Mike Johnson.”
Greene’s decision to move forward with the motion to vacate puts her at odds with Trump, who has publicly supported Johnson and has dismissed the idea of removing him. However, Greene has rejected suggestions that her motion is in defiance of the former president’s wishes, arguing instead the move would boost his chances in the 2024 election.
“I’m the biggest supporter of President Trump,” Greene said. “That’s why I’m fighting here against my own Republican conference to fight harder against the Democrats. Mike Johnson has fully funded the Department of Justice that wants to put President Trump in jail, giving him a death sentence.”
Johnson pushed back against that narrative, telling SiriusXM’s The Laura Coates Show on Friday that Trump is in his corner and that he would be meeting with the former president over the weekend.
“I have a long relationship with President Trump. For eight years now we’ve worked together very closely,” Johnson said. “So it’s very important in that next term, when the new Congress begins in January and the new president takes office, that the speaker of the House and the president be working very closely together on the agenda to move the country forward. And we’re looking forward to that opportunity.”
Trump’s support of Johnson could be reflected among several of his allies on Capitol Hill, possibly alienating Greene from the former president’s base despite being one of his most vocal allies.
“Everything that we do in the House of Representatives should be in the best interest of getting Donald Trump reelected,” Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) said. “Motions to vacate, justified or unjustified, we don’t have time for that right now. Let’s focus on Donald Trump.”
“I think Marjorie Taylor Greene, to try to topple the speaker, increases the chances of chaos and increases the chances of handing control to the Democrats,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told RealClearPolitics Podcast. “There is zero chance a more conservative speaker will result, and so I think what she’s doing is really unhelpful to the country.”
Greene’s move has also frustrated top Republican leaders, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) speaking with the Georgia lawmaker for an extensive conversation on the House floor earlier this week. The majority leader declined to give specifics of the talk, but he told reporters they discussed the motion to vacate.
“In the end, it’s her decision, but we had a conversation about it,” Scalise said.
It’s not clear what day the House will vote on the motion to vacate. However, it is expected to be a short-lived affair.
House Democratic leadership came out against the motion to vacate on Tuesday, vowing to table the legislation should it come to the floor. That decision gives Johnson considerable cover, possibly killing the motion before it even reaches the floor.
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Still, Greene has refused to back down, arguing a save from Democrats would harm their own chances of winning back the House majority.
“I can’t wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again,” Greene said.
