Speaker of the House turmoil: "One dumpster fire after another"

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., expressed her frustration on the House steps Wednesday night, stating that bills needed to be brought to the floor with the support of the majority of the majority.

Greene claims that at least 109 Republicans must support an issue before voting, which represents a "majority of the majority" in the House.

But Greene did not necessarily practice what she preaches.

Greene's attempt to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, was rejected by the House with a vote of 359-43. Seven members voted present.

Despite being a member of the majority party, 196 out of 217 House Republican Conference members voted against Greene's motion to dismiss Johnson.

Clearly, a majority of the majority.

As we say, it’s about the math.

Despite only 11 Republicans voting for a recall of Speaker Johnson, 163 Democrats voted to protect him, resulting in an extraordinary cross-party vote on Capitol Hill.

If Democratic reinforcements had not arrived, Johnson would no longer be Speaker of the House. Only eight Republicans voted to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last autumn. However, 11 Republicans appeared to want to remove Johnson this time, despite the GOP majority being narrower now than eight months ago.

"The Democrats saved him," grumbled Greene. "Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., voted for him. Pelosi doesn't vote for Republicans unless she has full control of the House. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the entire leadership team, and Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Jamie Raskin, D-Md. all voted for Mike Johnson."

Media scrum

Greene secured long audiences with Johnson in the Speaker's office on Monday and Tuesday, where she expressed her grievances. Following each meeting, a large group of reporters gathered around Greene.

On Monday evening, the press blob gathered in Statuary Hall in the Capitol, right in front of a statue of Sam Houston. By Wednesday night, the daily press conferences with Greene shifted to the House steps. The demand for Greene among reporters was so great that staffers from the House Radio/TV Gallery set up a mic stand for her.

Greene inquired, "Is that intended for me?" on Wednesday evening as she cautiously descended the House steps following the vote to derail her Speaker plan. A group of photographers, moving gracefully like dancers, captured images of her, focusing on her every move.

Greene's relations with GOP colleagues suffered while she temporarily captured the attention of Congressional press corps, who speculated about her potential move against Johnson. In contrast, Kendrick Lamar and Drake have a better relationship than Greene and most of her fellow House Republicans.

Greene was heckled by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., as she descended the Capitol steps to address the media.

"Ms. Taylor Greene is choosing to be destructive, which will sow discord and dissent, according to Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D."

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., suggested that Moscow Marjorie's behavior may have been caused by the space laser.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, predicted that Marjorie would end up in a lonely place.

When Greene presented her resolution to remove Johnson from his position as Speaker of the House, dozens of Republicans protested and jeered. It was unclear if Greene would actually go through with it or if she was just using it as a way to gain attention. Greene had first announced her intention to remove Johnson in mid-March. Some Democrats questioned whether Greene's frequent meetings with Johnson should prompt them to reevaluate their stance on defending the Speaker.

"What is Marjorie Taylor Greene getting from Speaker Johnson during their hours-long meetings?" questioned House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu, D-Calif.

No support

Colleague Tyler Olson followed up, inquiring whether Democrats would still support Johnson.

Lieu replied, "It would depend on what Marjorie Taylor Greene is able to extract."

Johnson did not make any concessions to Greene, and Greene did not give Johnson much of an opportunity to do so. The next day, Greene presented a motion to vacate the chair, but it did not receive support.

"Greene stated that when she filed her motion, she believed it to be akin to a pink slip, hoping it would serve as a warning to Mike Johnson. However, it seems that her message did not succeed in rousing him from his complacency."

Despite the unnoticed disaster, the House passed an interim bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for one week, thanks to Democrats assisting Johnson. The vote came just before Greene offered her motion to remove Johnson. The House approved the bill preemptively, anticipating the Senate would sync up this week. The Senate later passed a bill to re-up the FAA for five years, as well as the temporary measure.

If the Democrats had not bailed out Johnson, the House would have voted to declare the Speakership empty, just like last October. If the Speakership is vacant, the House shuts down, becomes paralyzed, and can't do anything.

That would have imperiled the FAA.

The Senate may have aligned with the House on a Band-Aid bill for the FAA, but the Speaker or his designee must sign the "enrolled bill" before it goes to the President for signature. If the Senate later approved a stopgap FAA bill, its authorization may have lapsed if there was no Speaker to sign the bill.

Could an acting Speaker Pro Tempore sign a bill? Perhaps. However, opponents could contest the bill's legality.

Democratic intervention

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., served as the acting speaker pro tempore of the House, merely gaveling the House in and out of session after McCarthy's departure.

In these circumstances, it may take an unknown amount of time for the House to elect a Speaker after vacating the chair. It took 22 days to choose a Speaker last October.

Johnson's Speakership was saved by democratic intervention, which also ensured the continuation of air traffic and the safety of travelers. However, had Democrats adhered to their own actions in October and refused to aid McCarthy, the outcome may have been different.

What might happen to Greene next? Could there be repercussions such as sanctions or ostracism? Greene didn't dismiss the possibility of another motion to vacate this week.

Anything is possible.

But House members are now used to the chaos.

"One dumpster fire at a time," said Dusty Johnson.