Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene motioned to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday, potentially setting up a new showdown over leadership in the fractured chamber. However, the conflict was short-lived.
The House voted quickly to table Rep. Greene's measure on Wednesday by a vote of 359-43 — a total that conveyed significant Democratic and Republican support for Johnson's status as speaker. Eleven Republicans voted against tabling the measure, or in favor of proceeding with the measure to oust Speaker Johnson.
In the lead-up to Wednesday's developments, Greene had laid out demands including an end to U.S. funding for Ukraine and closure of the Justice Department's cases against former President Donald Trump, which Johnson was not prepared to meet.
“It’s not a negotiation,” Johnson said.
Greene read the measure to oust Johnson on the House floor on short notice on Wednesday, outlining concerns including Johnson's leadership on funding support for Ukraine, his leadership concerning immigration and abortion, and Congressional funding bills.
There had been some earlier indication that Rep. Greene might back down from the measure, following a phone call from former President Trump over the weekend in which he urged her to reconsider the motion.
