Embattled U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, facing a Motion to Vacate, now appears to be changing the rules in order to hang onto power. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) complained this morning that Johnson was trying to slip a new vacate rule into a Ukraine funding measure being debated by the Rules Committee.
Speaker Johnson is trying to change the motion to vacate rule right now by slipping a new vacate rule into the Ukraine funding rule being debated right now on the Rules Committee.
Changing it from 1 member to vacate to we have no idea because he’s again hiding it from the…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 18, 2024
The Speaker has faced increasing criticism over broken promises to the Freedom Caucus, constituents and the America First movement. From pushing through a $1.2 trillion Omnibus bill to never-ending Ukraine funding and last week’s Section 702 FISA reauthorization, the Speaker has consistently landed on the side of the D.C. establishment and its goals.
Failure to secure the U.S. border is another growing point of friction for the Speaker. Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) has noted that Johnson is pushing forward with a $100 billion in security assistance for other countries while doing nothing about our own border security.
Speaker Johnson is plowing forward with $100 billion in security assistance for other countries while breaking his promise to Americans that our border would come first. https://t.co/PAhkEV4W2y
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 18, 2024
With the Speaker of the House of Representatives being third in the line of succession for the presidency, Rep. Massie is openly questioning whether Johnson is trying to leverage his dwindling power in order to change House rules so that he can stay in power. Rep. Greene echoes those concerns and notes that the Speaker is counting on help from Democrats in Congress to shield him from her Motion to Vacate.
Mike Johnson is working behind the scenes with Democrats to save his speakership.
He owes our entire conference a meeting explaining his plans to change the rules WITH DEMOCRAT HELP on Motion to Vacate.
I filed a Motion to Vacate because Johnson has became the Democrat Speaker… pic.twitter.com/gjsLGhKmkh
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 18, 2024
Critics of Johnson say there’s little difference in Johnson’s leadership versus the Democrats’ Hakeem Jeffries. The question before Republican lawmakers is whether they’re willing to risk having a Speaker who unapologetically serves the establishment or one who does it while making and breaking his promises to do otherwise.