Johnson rejects proposed rule change that might secure his position as House speaker
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana declined a rule change that would have made it harder for his fellow Republicans to remove him from his position. Reports indicated he was facing pressure from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to step down, but Johnson clarified that he would not be resigning despite the calls for his ouster. Other House Republicans are looking into potential rule changes independently to raise the threshold for a motion to remove the speaker.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declined to move forward with a rule change that would make it more difficult for him to be ousted by his fellow Republicans, turning down requests from some lawmakers to increase the threshold and avoid another contentious speaker’s race.
Reports surfaced early Thursday that Johnson was considering a change to House rules to make it more difficult to vacate the speakership as he faces a threat from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to oust him from the top leadership position. However, Johnson sought to quell those rumors in a statement after several members came out in opposition to that plan.
“Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold,” Johnson said in a post on X. “While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules.”
Under the current rules, any one member can propose a motion to remove the House speaker. That rule was agreed to by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to garner enough support to secure the gavel himself — before being ousted just nine months later.
Now, Johnson faces his own threat after Greene filed a motion to vacate the speaker late last month. Since then, at least one other Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), has cosponsored the effort, with the pair saying several other GOP lawmakers have privately expressed support.
Massie has publicly called for Johnson to resign as speaker, warning that a motion to vacate could result in a repeat of the House’s leadership crisis in October 2023, when eight Republicans joined all Democrats in ousting McCarthy, leaving the lower chamber without a speaker for three weeks.
However, Johnson has remained defiant, telling reporters on Tuesday: “I am not resigning. And it is, in my view, an absurd notion.”
Although Johnson said he would not seek a rules change, some other House Republicans are quietly pursuing their own path to raising the threshold for the motion to vacate. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) announced the effort on Thursday, and at least a dozen lawmakers have expressed support for the idea, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
“Again, we’ve got a small group of people who are upset that they’re not getting their way,” Dusty Johnson said in a video. “It’s the era of divided government. Nobody gets everything they want. They want to throw out the current speaker of the House. It’s a terrible idea. I’m working with a group of members to change the rules so they can’t get that done, so that one knucklehead can’t put the whole House into disarray by forcing another speaker vote.”
It is not entirely clear whether such a motion could get enough support to pass the House, as it would need majority support from the chamber.
A motion to vacate requires only a simple majority to pass, meaning if all Democrats voted to oust Johnson, it would only take two Republicans to join in order to pass. However, Rep. Tom Souzzi (D-NY) came out as the first Democrat last month to support Johnson if he faces a motion to vacate from the GOP.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) also pledged not to back the motion to vacate.
“Massie wants the world to burn, I won’t stand by and watch,” the Democrat posted on X. “I have a bucket of water.”
Several Republicans have decried the motion to remove the second speaker over the course of one year, noting that although there haven’t been conversations about a rescue plan, they would hope Democrats would not aid in removing Johnson.
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It is not clear when Massie and Greene may move forward with their threat to oust Johnson. Greene did not privilege the motion when she filed it in March, meaning the measure is sitting in the House until she calls it forward for a vote.
Former President Donald Trump came out in support of Johnson last week, calling it “unfortunate” that the measure keeps being brought up. When asked about Trump’s support, Massie simply said, “I think he’ll come around.”
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