'Suicide for the GOP': Republicans 'threatening the career' of Mike Johnson over budget deal

Less than three months since US Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) took control of the speakership, House Republicans are considering his removal over the tentative budget deal he cut with Democrats Sunday. His predecessor, US Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), was removed in September over a bipartisan deal as well.

On Monday, the House Freedom Caucus wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "It's even worse than we thought. Don't believe the spin. Once you break through typical Washington math, the true total programmatic spending level is $1.658 trillion — not $1.59 trillion. This is total failure."

According to an exclusive Newsweek report, "Nearly a dozen House Republicans have vocally criticized the spending agreement, saying they disagreed with Johnson's position and blasting the agreement as a 'total failure.'"

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Jay Townsend told the news outlet "There is little [the House GOP] can do to stop it other than threatening the career of a member who runs with it."

He noted that the idea of ousting Johnson is likely to "come up in caucus meetings, on the floor and in the hallways among Republican members."

GOP strategist Alex Patton added "it would be up to Johnson to get his party in line, either co-opting or convincing members of his caucus that they could lose control of the House if they continue to threaten party leadership."

He added, "I don't believe there is any appeasing some in the caucus. Their brand is non-compromising trolling. Only God may know what this Republican caucus may or may not do, but I would think that even they realize vacating the speakership this soon would be a major mistake. The more likely path is the rabble-rousers will b****, moan, feign outrage and fundraise off it. It's all so tiresome and becoming trite."

Townsend emphasized that moving towards the Louisiana lawmaker's ousting would be "'suicide for the GOP' and serve as 'proof' that the party is a 'grievance-driven creature incapable of governing.'"

READ MORE: 'Did a 180 on everything': House GOP approval of Mike Johnson’s leadership is 'plummeting'