Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, rebuked Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “idiotic” attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
Greene, a Georgia Republican, introduced a motion to vacate Johnson as speaker after criticizing his $1.2 trillion spending bill that funded agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through September 30.
On March 22, the House voted to approve the spending bill in a 286-134 vote to avoid a partial government shutdown. Johnson had to rely on the help of House Democrats as 112 Republicans, including Greene, voted against the package. The bill was passed by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden the next day.
Greene has yet to file her motion to vacate as privileged, meaning it will not be considered by Congress until after the Easter recess.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Lawler on Sunday: “Do you think that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will follow through on her threat to force a motion to oust Mike Johnson as speaker?
“I can’t speak for her,” Lawler responded. “She has introduced it. She has not yet made it privileged, but as I said the day that she introduced it, it’s idiotic and it’s not going to actually help advance the cause that she believes in.”
Lawler added that Greene’s motion to vacate “undermines our House Republican majority.”
House Republicans will soon hold a one-vote majority after three GOP members—Kevin McCarthy from California, Bill Johnson from Ohio, and Ken Buck from Colorado—resigned and Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin announced that he will be retiring next month.
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Democrats actually gained a seat when Representative George Santos, a New York Republican, was expelled from Congress and Tom Suozzi was voted in during a special election in February. When Gallagher leaves, there will be 217 Republicans to 213 Democrats in the House. A total of 216 votes constitutes a majority if all members are present and voting.
Lawler continued on Sunday: “Voters enacted a House Republican majority because they wanted a check and balance on the Biden administration. They wanted to stop the reckless out-of-control spending, that increased spending 5 trillion in just two years and gave us record inflation.
“They didn’t like the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, and they saw the disastrous foreign policy decisions that the Biden administration has made when it comes to Iran. Infighting does nothing to help advance any of those issues or policy positions. And in fact, undermines our majority.”
Newsweek reached out to Greene’s and Johnson’s offices via email for comment.
Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, told Kristen Welker on Meet the Press on Sunday: “We have one or two people that are not team players. They’d rather enjoy the limelight…it is very likely that after this Ukraine bill, that we may have a standoff with the speaker.”
Biden and members of Congress have been pushing for additional aid for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia for months. The Senate passed a $95.34 billion foreign funding package in February, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine, but it has yet to be taken up in the House as some Republicans in the chamber have criticized giving more aid to the war-torn nation.
House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe on Face the Nation on Sunday: “The speaker has made very clear statements that when we get back, it’s the next top agenda,” referring to voting on additional Ukraine aid. “I believe this is going to have overwhelming support in Congress and we’ll put a bill on the president’s desk.”
It is unclear what bill the House will decide to vote on in order to get Ukraine funding, if they choose to do so.
O’Keefe asked Turner: “You think the speaker’s willing to put his job on the line in order to get this done ’cause he is facing some threats from fellow Republicans?”
“Unfortunately, the chaos caucus has continued to want to stop everything that occurs in Congress. It’s not as though they have an alternative plan,” the House Republican said.
Turner didn’t say them by name, but members of the House Freedom Caucus, which Greene was expelled from in 2023, have been known to disrupt the House Republican majority in an attempt to propel their own far-right agenda.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.