House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will face a vote to strip him of the gavel in the coming days. While he’s expected to survive the ouster bid, the move presents another test for the Republican leader as he presides over a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber.
House Democrat leaders said they would vote to shelve a motion to vacate advanced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), effectively ensuring its defeat on the House floor.
Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a Congressional Gold Medal presentation ceremony at the Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 21, 2024; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks to reporters outside of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on March 13, 2024. Alex Wong, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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While Johnson could claim a victory from this scenario, he may also face further scrutiny from the right flank for having to rely on Democrats to save his speakership.
At least two Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.)—have publicly backed Greene’s motion. But it’s not so popular among other Republicans.
Even those who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), like Reps. Bob Good (R-Va.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), have indicated to The Epoch Times that they’re ambivalent about this latest use of the motion to vacate.
Several suggested such a move could backfire and end in the election of Jeffries as speaker.
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It’s even less popular among others in the conference.
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“I don’t believe that’s what the country wants,” Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) said of the motion.
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) opined that the procedure was being used improperly, saying it should be treated “as serious as impeachment,” rather than a punishment for policy disagreements.
Much of the criticism has been directed personally to Greene.
“She’s been a thorn in our side for a long time; now she’s a thorn in [the GOP’s] side,” said Rep. Annie Kuster (D-Pa.), who indicated to The Epoch Times she would probably vote to save Johnson.
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With Jeffries’ backing, many Democrats are poised to join Kuster in voting for Johnson. Democrats’ backing is largely due to Johnson’s controversial move to put $95 billion in foreign aid on the floor in April.
“I’m definitely open towards making sure that speaker Johnson continues,” Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) told The Epoch Times.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) went a step further, saying “I think there will be Democrats who would rather reward a speaker for doing the right thing than reward Marjorie Taylor Greene, and her effort to overtake the House.”
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said he was unsure about how he’d vote, but opined, “Now is certainly not the time to vacate the speaker’s chair.”
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When Greene brings the motion to the floor, leadership will have two days to allow a vote on it.
At that point, a member will bring a motion to table Greene’s motion. With Democratic support, Greene’s motion seems poised to be tabled by an overwhelming majority of the House—but it’s a vote that poses a political headache for members of both parties.
—Joseph Lord and Stacy Robinson
TITLE IX SHOWDOWN
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Republican states are gearing up for a policy fight with President Joe Biden’s administration over his recent move to expand Title IX protections to biological males who identify as women.
Republican-led states are suing the administration and advising schools to ignore the new federal Title IX, a law which protects women from discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educational programs and provides them equal opportunities.
The rule change formalizes the Department of Education’s redefinition of the meaning of sex to include gender identity.
The changes, which go into effect Aug. 1, give males identifying as female the right to use female restrooms, locker rooms, and join female-only organizations. Under the new rule, “harassment” can include the use of biologically accurate pronouns.
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Schools and colleges that fail to comply with Title IX stand to lose federal dollars.
The Biden administration heralded the rule change as inclusive and a matter of fairness for all students.
Republicans don’t share this assessment, however. Instead, they have described the rule change as a threat to, and an attack on, women.
This week, 15 states have filed lawsuits accusing the federal government of overreach and changing the nature of the original law.
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“I’m going to be really clear. President Biden deciding to rewrite Title IX is one of the most radical and illegal moves we’ve ever seen from the federal government,” Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters said at a state board meeting in April.
“It’s an attack on our states. It’s an attack on our families. And it’s an attack on our young women and girls,” he said.
Governors and education chiefs in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, and South Carolina have also told their school districts to ignore the new definition.
In a letter to Biden, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rebuked the president’s “abuse of authority.”
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“I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate,” Abbott said. “Your rewrite of Title IX not only exceeds your constitutional authority, but it also tramples laws that I signed to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes.”
Lawsuits against the administration allege that the expansion of the definition is illegal.
States involved in the three separate lawsuits against the rule change include Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
—Darlene McCormick Sanchez and Joseph Lord
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BOOKMARKS
Former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee claim that they brought in $76 million in April, The Epoch Times’ Joseph Lord reported. They say that about half of that amount came from small-dollar donations. It comes as Biden has enjoyed a consistent fundraising lead over his rival thus far.
During a private fundraiser at Palm Beach, Florida, donors heard from several frontrunners for Trump’s VP, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). But, The Epoch Times’ Joseph Lord reported, the two men didn’t discuss the prospect of Scott becoming Trump’s running mate.
Trump currently leads Biden nationwide by 10 points, The Epoch Times’ Naveen Athrappully reported. That poll, from Rasmussen, covers a three-way race between Trump, Biden, and Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It comes as Trump also enjoys a polling lead in every major swing state.
Though Trump’s remarks during his Palm Beach fundraiser weren’t public, a report by Politico says that Trump accused his opponent of “running a Gestapo administration.” He cited the pending criminal cases against him, saying that Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-Texas) case was also politically motivated due to the lawmaker’s opposition to Biden’s border policies.
The same group that pressured No Labels to drop out of the 2024 presidential race is turning their efforts to Kennedy, according to an article by Politico. It comes as part of a broad effort by Democrats to neutralize the threat posed by Kennedy, who seems to be hurting Biden in polling.
