Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) made an announcement on Tuesday that he will be joining as a co-sponsor for a resolution to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his position as the House’s leader.
During a closed-door conference meeting, Massie informed his colleagues that he will co-sponsor the motion to vacate resolution filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), as per three GOP lawmakers present. This makes Massie the first lawmaker to publicly support Greene’s endeavor.
Massie made his announcement less than 24 hours after Johnson revealed his plan to pass foreign aid through the House. Johnson’s plan involves voting on three distinct bills to provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as a fourth measure relating to other national security priorities.
In a surprising move, Johnson deviated from his previous stances by excluding border security provisions from the plan. This decision comes after months of Republicans, including the Speaker, insisting that any assistance for Ukraine should be accompanied by legislation to address the challenges at the southern border. Consequently, this move has faced strong opposition from conservatives.
Massie explained his decision to support the ouster effort by citing Johnson’s actions, including putting Ukraine aid on the floor, handling government funding, and reauthorizing warrantless surveillance authority.
Massie said that the only person who has the power to prevent them from delving into the events of last fall is Mike Johnson. He was referring to the removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October.
“He’s obviously cleaning the barn,” he said. “He had three tasks on his agenda: to create an omnibus that would break all spending records, to implement FISA without warrants, and now he’s focused on Ukraine. These are the three priorities. There are individuals pressuring him relentlessly, treating him like a horse, without any regard for the consequences. I, on the other hand, am concerned because it will throw our conference into disarray.”
During the closed-door conference meeting, the Kentucky Republican made a request to Johnson to step down from the Speakership. However, the Louisiana Republican declined to comply with the request.
In response to the increasing efforts to remove him from office, Johnson dismissed it as “absurd” on Tuesday.
“I will not be stepping down, and I find it utterly ridiculous that someone would propose such a motion while we are here simply trying to fulfill our duties,” Johnson declared during a press conference held in the Capitol. “This kind of action does not contribute to our cause, nor does it benefit our country. It fails to support the House Republicans’ efforts in advancing our agenda, which is ultimately aimed at serving the best interests of the American people – securing our borders and promoting effective governance. Moreover, it undermines the unity that we have worked hard to establish within our body.”
Both Greene and Massie have chosen not to disclose the timeline for triggering a vote on the motion-to-vacate resolution. However, their endorsement indicates that Johnson will likely require Democratic support to retain the Speaker position in the event that the matter is brought up for a vote.
Republicans currently have a slim margin in the House, where they can only afford to lose two GOP lawmakers on party-line votes. However, this edge will decrease to one after the resignation of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) at the end of the week.
Several Democrats have recently voiced their support for Johnson, assuring him that they will defend his decision to bring Ukraine aid to the forefront.
Massie expressed his belief that if the proposal is brought forward, it would garner significant support from the public.
There was a strong opposition from other Republicans who expressed their sharp criticism towards the increasing momentum of this movement, asserting that it would have detrimental effects on the nation.
“I have great respect for Thomas, but I have a different opinion on that,” expressed Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a staunch conservative. Speaking on Tuesday, he stated, “Although I disagree with some of his actions, I believe removing a Speaker is not what our country needs at the moment. Thomas is an honest man, and we have gone through many discussions together. I wouldn’t subject our country to such a process, so I am against it.”
According to Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), the motion is “dead wrong,” while Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) expressed his inability to support it, arguing that there is no viable successor to Johnson within the GOP conference.
“If we’re going to point out a problem with Mike Johnson, we need to come up with a solution. So, who would we replace him with? If it’s not him, then who? Who is capable of managing this conference?” Nehls questioned. “I just walked out of that room, and there isn’t anyone in there who can handle this conference.”
According to Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), if a vote were to be held on the ouster resolution, it is likely that it would fail on the floor.
According to Graves, the current government is a loose coalition which makes it unlikely for any new person to secure a majority of votes. As a result, he believes that people will not proceed with it at this point.
“It’s not in our best interest to do it. I believe that the painful scars we endured for weeks last year are still fresh in people’s minds,” he explained. “This will serve as a significant deterrent for individuals to actually take action and propose a motion to vacate.”
Miranda Nazzaro has made a contribution to this updated article at 11:55 a.m. ET.
