House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) may soon be headed for the exits if the GOP overcomes its fear of the White House, according to one Republican member of the House of Representatives.
The Hill reported Monday that the speaker could soon face a reckoning by members of the House Republican Conference due to his deference to President Donald Trump. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) recently told the New York Times that many of her Republican colleagues view Speaker Johnson as a Trump stooge who has ceded much of Congress' power to the executive branch.
"I want you to know that Johnson is not our speaker. He is not our leader," Greene told the Times. "And in the legislative branch — a totally separate body of government — he is literally 100 percent under direct orders from the White House. And many, many Republicans are so furious about that, but they’re cowards."
The Georgia Republican's attack on the speaker is her latest jab in the midst of Greene's looming retirement from Congress on January 5th, which she announced shortly after Trump attacked her on his Truth Social platform as a "ranting lunatic." Greene became a target of Trump's wrath after she continued to press him on releasing all remaining documents pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's two federal investigations.
Greene has also been a frequent critic of Johnson after he kept the House of Representatives closed for more than 40 days in the fall, as Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was waiting to be sworn in after she won a September special election. Johnson maintained that he would resume House business once the 43-day government shutdown (officially the longest in U.S. history) ended, though the Senate remained in session.
The speaker's decision to keep the House closed came as lawmakers were mulling legislation to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits due to expire at the end of 2025, with Greene saying her adult children's health insurance premiums were on track to double if the tax credits weren't renewed. She has repeatedly accused House Republican leadership of not having a plan to replace the expiring tax credits, which Johnson disputes (though he has not yet officially rolled out an alternative to the Affordable Care Act).
Current House rules allow for just one member to be able to launch a motion to vacate a sitting speaker, which Republicans did in 2023 when eight members of the House GOP voted with all Democrats to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who had angered Republicans when he worked with Democrats to advance must-pass government spending legislation. Greene has sought to remove Johnson via a motion to vacate since January of 2024, when Johnson worked with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to advance a bill keeping government agencies funded.
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