Rep. Greene Calls Speaker Johnson a ‘Democrat’ Similar to Nancy Pelosi

(Left) 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. (Right) 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

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday, saying Republican supporters were angry at the lawmaker for his role in passing a trillion-dollar spending bill.

Last month, the House passed the $1.2 trillion spending package to prevent a government shutdown, with the majority of Republicans voting against it. Many GOP lawmakers fumed at the passage of the package due to spending increases in the bill like a $27 billion boost for the Pentagon and $300 million more for Ukraine. The package also lacked provisions for Republican policies like stronger borders.

In a March 3 interview with CNN, Ms. Greene criticized Speaker Johnson for his role in negotiating the spending bill. She pointed out that less than 36 hours after the bill was released, it was put on the floor, which was a violation of the Republican Party’s pledge to give three days to members to review any bill.

GOP voters are “furious that our so-called Christian conservative, Republican Speaker of the House did this to them,” she said. “People are fed up with Republicans that say one thing and turn around and literally join the flock and just continue the same old crap everybody’s tired of.”

“And here, Mike Johnson, he’s literally turned into Mitch McConnell’s twin and worse. He’s a Democrat … There’s not even any daylight between him and Nancy Pelosi at this point.”

On March 22, as House members voted on the $1.2 trillion spending bill, Ms. Greene had filed a motion to vacate the Speaker. “This is a betrayal of the American people. This is a betrayal of the Republican voters,” Ms. Greene told reporters.

“The ‘Republican-controlled’ House just passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill that doesn’t secure our border, but funds full-term abortion and trans ideology on our youth. I filed a Motion to Vacate because the House needs a Speaker who’s able to win for Republicans and our constituents,” she said in a March 22 X post.

In her interview, Ms. Greene said she was not worried about warnings from fellow lawmakers that removing Speaker Johnson from the post could end up harming Republicans as it could lead to the election of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as the new speaker.

Ms. Greene called such arguments a “stupid lie” as she dismissed the idea that a Democrat will get aid from Republicans to become the new speaker. She also does not believe ousting Speaker Johnson would pave the way for a more moderate speaker.

“We cannot get anyone more moderate than Mike Johnson … I would argue Mike Johnson, we can’t get any further left than Mike Johnson. I think the Democrats might be happier with him than they are with Hakeem Jeffries.”

While she claimed her effort to oust Speaker Johnson has “gained momentum,” Ms. Greene refused to reveal how many of her party members were backing her in this attempt. Ms. Greene said she intends to talk with Speaker Johnson on Friday.

Speaker Johnson justified his backing of the $1.2 trillion package, noting that since the GOP only has a narrow lead in the House, Republicans will not get the perfect legislation they seek and may have to compromise on some matters.

Ukraine Aid Issue

Speaker Johnson is also facing challenges in getting Republicans united on aid to Ukraine. Many Republicans are demanding that no more funds be provided to foreign wars, including Ukraine, until America’s borders are secured. While one faction of the GOP is supportive of funding Ukraine, another faction is opposed to it.

Speaker Johnson has suggested that the Ukraine aid issue could be brought to the House floor when lawmakers return from the current recess.

In the CNN interview, Ms. Greene warned against pushing a Ukraine aid bill using a “suspension of the rules” process with Democrat support. Speaker Johnson has used the measure on several occasions when faced with having to pass bills opposed by many Republicans.

“Let me tell you, when he forces that vote, again, under suspension with no amendments, and funds Ukraine and people find out how angry their constituents are about it, that’s going to move the needle even more,” she said. “Funding Ukraine is probably one of the most egregious things that he can do.”

Ms. Greene said that her motion to vacate was “more of a warning and a pink slip” and that it will be voted on by lawmakers only if she brings it to the floor.

Under current rules, any single lawmaker may make a motion to “vacate the chair,” prompting a vote on removing the speaker.

In his “Firebrand” podcast, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) explained why he will not support ousting Speaker Johnson.

“When I vacated McCarthy, I made a promise to all of you, to the entire country, that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker,” he said in the podcast. “I knew it, I promised it, and had we ended up with a Democrat speaker, then I would have broken my word to you and I would have been rightfully dropped out of this job.”

Earlier, it was Mr. Gaetz who led the successful attempt to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the post of speaker.