Speaker Mike Johnson is Defended by Democrats

Despite her threats, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has yet to take action to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Greene was asked by a group of reporters as she exited the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday why she didn't initiate her resolution to remove Johnson and if she had any idea what would prompt her to take action against the Speaker.

One scribe shouted, "Have you made a decision yet on when to move ahead?"

"Is your resolution lacking in specificity when you take action?" inquired I.

Another reporter asked, "When do you plan to make a decision?"

Greene did not respond publicly, but she issued a statement shortly after House Democratic leaders announced their plan to safeguard Johnson if Greene attempted to vacate the chair.

The House Democratic leadership team, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., announced that "the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction." They declared that they will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair. If Greene invokes the motion, it will not succeed.

Greene immediately shot back at Johnson and the Democrats.

Greene inquired, "What underhanded agreement did Johnson strike with the Democrats to secure their backing?"

The Georgia Republican declared that "Mike Johnson is officially the Democrat Speaker of the House." She promised to hold a vote "to ensure transparency for all Americans."

Johnson wasn’t even apprised that the Democratic cavalry was coming.

Johnson quipped at a press conference, "I've never heard of the Democratic backup before."

So is there essentially a Democratic Speaker of the House now?

"Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, stated that it does not matter to her whether Hakeem Jeffries or Mike Johnson is currently serving as Speaker, as she believes that the Democrat agenda will still be passed regardless."

Did Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., confirm if Johnson is now weaker and relying on Democratic votes?

"He's already been relying on Democrat votes," replied Roy.

Johnson greenlit a bundle of money for Ukraine to avoid multiple government shutdowns and pass the foreign aid package, which made most Democrats especially pleased.

So is this great for Johnson and stability in the House?

There could be a significant disadvantage for Johnson at this moment.

The maneuver by Democrats could embolden a small group of Republicans who want to remove Johnson from his position. Even some rank-and-file Republicans could see that Johnson is only in the job due to Democratic support. This may not immediately harm Johnson, but it could provide an opportunity for those who might want his job, such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, and others, to use Democratic support as a wedge and potentially challenge Johnson for Speaker next year or a leadership role in the new Congress if Republicans lose the majority.

Let history be our guide:

In the early 20th Century, Late House Speaker Joe Cannon, R-Ill., relied on Democrats to survive a vote of no confidence. Despite this, Cannon retained the Speakership, with significant help from across the aisle.

That could be the same situation here.

Cannon was eventually honored with the naming of a House office building, which could be seen as a positive aspect of Johnson's leadership.

So, there’s that.

If Democrats don't vote, it will help Johnson, altering the House's math to remove the Speaker.

Another Member could also cause the resolution to "vacate the chair" and lead to the House grappling with the possibility of removing the Speaker.

Greene's removal as Speaker could be triggered by Johnson or an ally, confident that their forces will defeat him soundly. This could embarrass Greene and likely end any effort to remove the Speaker for the rest of Congress.

So here’s what happens if Greene’s resolution is triggered:

Democrats claim they will assist in the House's decision to table or kill the resolution, which will end Greene's effort.

Democrats parsed the parliamentarily process of what they would do for Johnson.

"Aguilar stated that none of the discussion in caucus was about saving Mike Johnson. Instead, the underlying motion to vacate was not discussed, but rather the motion to table was."

Johnson's efforts to help Trump win the election were alluded to by Aguilar, despite the Electoral College results. However, other Democrats have reservations about Johnson due to his evangelical faith and opposition to abortion. As a result, this is not a complete endorsement of Johnson. Instead, it was more about silencing Greene.

"Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., stated that the purpose of their action was to demonstrate that the emperor or empress lacked clothing, asserting that the group of individuals in question had no sense of responsibility to the nation and had been given too much power for too long."

I wanted to inquire about the reasoning behind the Democrats' decision to assist Johnson.

If you protect Mike Johnson, does it seem like Democrats have a piece of him or that he's beholden to them, Katherine Clark asked me.

"We will continue to extend our hand to Mike Johnson in bipartisanship and hope that they will continue to learn a lesson about putting the American people's voices back on the floor of the House," replied Clark. "We are saying no to the extremism and the chaos that Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to peddle."

If the motion to table fails, the House will vote on whether to remove Johnson, which is the actual "motion to vacate the chair."

If the House votes in favor of removing Johnson, chaos ensues.

The House is unable to function as it did last fall when Members removed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. The House is now paralyzed and cannot take any legislation action until it elects a new Speaker. An acting Speaker Pro Tempore, such as House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., would take over, but would have limited power, only able to gavel the House into session and out.

The next step is for the House to nominate candidates for Speaker, followed by a vote. Last fall, it took several days for the House to be ready to choose a new Speaker, leaving the position vacant for 22 days.

Greene is following a very familiar path.

In 2015, Mark Meadows, a former White House Chief of Staff and Congressman, proposed a resolution to remove John Boehner as Speaker of the House. However, like Greene, Meadows did not follow through with the plan, resulting in a floor vote.

After meeting with Pope Francis and addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress, Boehner decided to resign as Speaker. However, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he planned to address nettlesome issues such as funding the government and dealing with the debt ceiling before stepping down, giving the new Speaker time to adjust to their role.

Mike Johnson has completed most of his tasks until fall, leaving Congress with a minimal "must do" list before the next deadline of funding the government again on September 30. Greene and her supporters hope that Johnson receives this message.

The current message may not be loud enough, as there are many unhappy Republicans. However, only a few have the courage to endure another tumultuous period like the one that occurred last autumn when the House removed McCarthy.

If Greene fails to secure enough support to remove Johnson as House Speaker, the next vote for Speaker will likely occur at 1 pm ET on January 3, 2025. The 119th Congress, which is the new Congress, will convene at noon ET under the Constitution. After a quorum call to determine attendance, the first order of business will be the election of a House Speaker. Republicans will nominate one candidate, while Democrats will nominate another. However, Members, who are technically Representatives-elect at that time, have the freedom to vote for any candidate they choose.

During the upcoming election, Democrats will not protect Johnson. If they win the majority, they will elect Jeffries as the next Speaker of the House. Alternatively, if Democrats are in the minority, they will vote for Jeffries and observe the conflict on the other side of the aisle.