Republicans Voice Support for Speaker Johnson After MTG’s Move to Oust Him

(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

A number of Republicans have come out in support of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in response to a move by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) demanding his ouster.

Ms. Greene filed a motion to vacate on March 22, seeking to oust Mr. Johnson from his leadership role in frustration over a $1.2 trillion spending package Congress passed to avoid a shutdown.

“It’s more of a warning and a pink slip,” Ms. Greene told reporters after filing the motion, adding that she’s not calling for an immediate floor vote, while accusing Mr. Johnson of having betrayed the confidence of the House Republican Conference.

“There’s not a time limit on this, it doesn’t have to be forced,” she said. “But I’m not saying that it won’t happen in two weeks, or it won’t happen.”

Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), was toppled from the position in October 2023 as a consequence of a motion to vacate.

In response to Ms. Greene’s motion, several Republicans expressed their backing for Mr. Johnson.

‘I Stand With Mike Johnson’

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) took to social media to make a case for “why every Republican should support” Mr. Johnson, whom he called a “deeply principled” man.

“I consider Marjorie Taylor Greene to be my friend. She’s still my friend. But she just made a big mistake,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said in a video posted on X. “To think that one of our Republican colleagues would call for his ouster right now—it’s really, it’s abhorrent to me and I oppose it.”

“I stand with Mike Johnson,” Mr. Higgins continued, adding that Mr. Johnson is “maybe the only guy” capable of leading the GOP through “dark and challenging times” with a slim, one-vote majority in the House and a Democrat-controlled Senate and White House.

Mr. Higgins called on his GOP colleagues to “unanimously oppose” the motion to vacate.

Other Republicans said they wouldn’t support Ms. Greene’s motion to vacate, though some, like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), expressed frustration with Mr. Johnson’s handling of the government funding bill.

“I don’t think it’s the right time” to push for Mr. Johnson’s ouster, Mr. Burchett, told reporters Friday afternoon. He warned that a premature bid to remove a Republican speaker could hand Democrats a win in an election year.

“If we did it right now we’d elect [Democratic Leader] Hakeem Jeffries as speaker,” he said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who led the charge to oust Mr. McCarthy, told Politico reporter Olivia Beavers that he’s “not going to question” Ms. Greene’s decision but that he’s “just not ready to support a motion to vacate.”

Ahead of Friday’s vote, Mr. Gaetz said that when he moved to oust Mr. McCarthy, he “made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker.”

Some had strong words of criticism for Ms. Greene over her move.

“It’s not only idiotic, but it actually does not do anything to advance the conservative movement. And in fact, it undermines the country, and our majority,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said, per The Hill.

While Mr. Johnson hasn’t addressed the controversy surrounding Ms. Greene’s motion, his spokesperson said he’s attuned to the concerns of his fellow Republicans.

“Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members, but is focused on governing,“ spokesperson Raj Shah said in a statement to some media outlets. ”He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.”

Meanwhile, some Democrats said they would vote to save Mr. Johnson from being toppled.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) told CNN on March 22 that he would vote to keep Mr. Johnson in the top job in the House and urged his fellow Democrats to do the same.

“It’s absurd he’s being kicked out for doing the right thing, keeping the government open. It has two-thirds support of the Congress, and the idea that he would be kicked out by these jokers is absurd,” he said.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) expressed a similar sentiment in a March 22 post on X.

“I do not support Speaker Johnson, but I will never stand by and let [Ms. Greene] take over the people’s House,” he said.

Greene’s Motion to Vacate

Ms. Greene filed the motion to vacate as members of the House voted to fund the remaining 70 percent of the federal government through the rest of the fiscal year.

The funding package, comprising six appropriations bills, was introduced on March 21, a day ahead of the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Despite opposition from most of the House Republican conference, the measure passed under a suspension of the rules in a 286–134 vote.

After the vote, Ms. Greene spoke to reporters outside of the Capitol, revealing that she had filed the motion.

“This is a betrayal of the American people. This is a betrayal of the Republican voters,” she said, adding that her purpose in filing the motion was not to “throw the House into chaos.”

“Committees will continue doing their work, investigations will continue. … I support Republicans holding the majority next conference, but we need a speaker of the House that knows how to negotiate, knows how to walk in the room, knows how to hold the line, and knows how to defend America first and the values and the policies that President Trump will bring,” she said.

Ms. Greene’s move recalled the tumultuous weeks that followed Mr. McCarthy’s ouster.

Without a chair, no legislative work could be conducted, and the GOP infighting in selecting a new speaker threatened to tear the party apart.

Ms. Greene’s office confirmed to The Epoch Times that her motion was not privileged, meaning that it will not require a floor vote within two legislative days.

“This is not personal against Mike Johnson,” Ms. Greene said. “He’s a very good man and I have respect for him as a person, but he is not doing the job. The proof is in the vote count today.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Johnson’s office for comment.

Jacob Burg, Samantha Flom, Joseph Lord, and Jackson Richman contributed to this report.