Momentum builds to oust Johnson from House speakership – By Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell (Washington Post) / April 16, 2024
One right-wing member called on the speaker to resign, which Johnson rejected
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s job is in serious jeopardy as two far-right members are now threatening to oust him after the embattled Republican leader proposed a complex plan intended to fund key foreign allies during wartime.
Johnson (La.) introduced a four-part proposal Monday night to decouple aid for Israel, which faced a barrage of missiles and drone threats from Iran over the weekend, and help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, along with two other measures. But his angry right flank — which has for weeks threatened to wrest Johnson’s gavel — escalated its attacks Tuesday morning, also vowing to sink a key procedural measure needed to consider his plan.
During a weekly Republican meeting Tuesday morning, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) upped the ante when he stood up and called on Johnson to resign after announcing that he signed on to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s plan to depose him, known as a motion to vacate.
That means that if Democrats choose not to rescue Johnson, Republicans would need just a simple majority to oust their second speaker in six months, causing the House to descend further into chaos during an election year when their slender grasp on the majority is at stake.
