Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar (pictured here at the Capitol in June 2023) announced Friday that he will join the effort to oust Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House.
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Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar (pictured here at the Capitol in June 2023) announced Friday that he will join the effort to oust Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House.
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A third Republican House member has signed on to an effort to remove Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House.
“We need a speaker who will put America first, rather than bow to the reckless demands of warmongers, neoconservatives and the military-industrial complex,” Gosar said in a statement late Friday morning. He said billions of dollars are being made from endless, costly wars. .
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to rescind the resolution nearly a month ago, in part because of a dispute with the speaker over how to handle the $1.2 trillion spending package. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massey co-sponsored the motion earlier this week.
Three Republican senators expressed regret that Johnson moved forward with aid to Ukraine without securing support for a bill aimed at strengthening security along the U.S. southern border.
Gosar's announcement came on the heels of a House vote to bring forward foreign aid legislation for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel that would require Democratic support to make up for Republican defections.
Mr. Gosar's signature on the effort to oust the speaker means Mr. Johnson will need votes from Democrats if the resolution is brought to a vote. The formal resignation of Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., will narrow the Republican majority to one vote, expected after the House votes on the foreign aid package.
Some Democratic lawmakers have said they would help rescue Mr. Johnson if a motion to resign is brought to the floor.
Rep. Bob Good, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said he disagrees with Johnson but doesn't think it's in Republicans' interest to remove him as speaker.
After Friday's vote, Good told reporters: “I don't defend the speaker's performance, I don't defend the actions that were taken.” “But that doesn't mean I support actions that I think are the least prudent at this time. We're six months away from the election, and we have a 2-3 vote difference.”
Several members of the Republican conference had asked for Thursday's regulations to include changes to the criteria for filing a motion to remove a chair, which currently only has one chair.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate Republican from New York's battleground district, said Thursday that the threshold should be changed “immediately.”
“Even if it needs to get done, it should get done,” Lawlor said. “If Mike Johnson were to be removed from office simply because he provided support to our allies in the chamber, it would, firstly, cause even more prolonged chaos. And secondly, the next speaker… It's going to be very difficult to do 'the right thing at the right time. ”
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on social media on Thursday that the House of Commons “will continue to govern under its existing rules”.
Since the beginning of the 118th Congress, House rules allowing a motion to vacate by a single member have been damaging to the office and the House majority.
A number of members have recently encouraged me to support new rules to raise this threshold. Although I understand the importance…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 18, 2024
Democrats cast key votes to advance Republican foreign aid package
House Democrats played a key role in helping Republican leaders push through a stalled nearly $95 billion funding bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, giving momentum to a vote for final passage on Saturday. .
“Even if it's not a perfect bill, it's not the bill we would have written if Republicans were in charge of both the House and the Senate and the White House. This is what we get under these circumstances. This is the best bill we can have,” Prime Minister Johnson said after the vote.
Democrats also took the highly unusual step of voting to pass the Republican foreign aid bill in the Rules Committee late Thursday night.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (California), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York), and House Minority Leader Katherine Clark (Massachusetts) speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Speak at a press conference.
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House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (California), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York), and House Minority Leader Katherine Clark (Massachusetts) speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Speak at a press conference.
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Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman voted against the rule in committee.
Ahead of the vote, Democratic leaders had not committed to supporting the rule because the document was not yet available. But they said they were open to the possibility and committed to passing foreign aid.
“We're going to do what it takes to make sure this national security bill crosses the finish line,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday morning.
It virtually never happens that a minority supports a majority decision. As a result, Mr. Johnson and his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have seen several rules fail on the floor, largely due to opposition from the right wing of the party.
