Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to nullify the vote leaves other Republicans with no easy options

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) decision to force action to recall President Mike Johnson (R-La.) has created a dilemma for some rank-and-file Republicans who will now face a difficult choice: vote to initiate a party leader endorsed by former President Trump, or join forces with Democrats to protect a figure hated by many conservatives.

Greene’s resolution, which is expected to reach the floor next week, is likely to fail, given Democratic leaders’ pledge to keep Johnson in power for the sake of stability in the House. But the Georgia firebrand is moving forward, arguing the importance of having all House lawmakers on the record so that voters have clarity about where everyone stands on Johnson’s leadership record.

“Every member of Congress needs to take this vote,” she said. “I can’t wait to see Democrats support a Republican president and have to go home for the primaries. … And I also can’t wait to see my Republican conference show its cards and show who we are.

“Are they willing to actually fight? Or will they stay together to get along?

Many Republicans share Greene’s frustrations with Johnson’s penchant for reaching bipartisan agreements, but they also hoped to avoid a vote on the motion to vacate. With that in mind, even some of Johnson’s staunchest Republican critics have sought in recent weeks to neutralize Greene’s effort, wary of triggering an internal party conflict in November when control of the House is at stake.

“These tools exist for reasons, but they should be deployed sparingly,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said this week. “Right now, the election is six months away and we need to focus on that.”

But Greene and her army of two — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) — are moving forward in their mission to oust Johnson, a move that is about to put many on the right flank in a complicated position as they face two undesirable options.

Hardliners are furious with Johnson for his willingness to cut deals with President Biden and Democrats on high-cost legislation, including the recent passage of bills to extend federal funding, reauthorize U.S. warrantless surveillance powers and forcing a foreign aid package that included about $61 billion for Ukraine.

Yet few Republicans on Capitol Hill want to shine any light between themselves and Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee who has gone out of his way to praise Johnson’s performance as president — a promotional campaign that has appeared to grow even more pronounced since Greene first introduced your place. movement last month.

“I stand with the speaker of the House,” Trump said when welcoming Johnson to Mar-a-Lago last month. “He is doing a very good job in very difficult circumstances.”

Furthermore, some radicals are worried about the possibility of plunging the House into chaos so close to the November elections – a disorderly demonstration that could bring down the party when voters go to the polls and decide control of the House next year.

“I don’t think there is anything to be gained by a motion to vacate the seat at this time,” said Rep. Dan Bishop (RN.C.).

Republicans inclined to keep Johnson in power also face political risks. Not only is the far right outraged by his legislative record – a message Republicans hear every time they return to their districts – but to preserve the House speaker’s power they will have to ally with Democrats, fueling accusations that Republicans on Capitol Hill abandoned. their conservative roots to join the “Unipartido”.

“You get to choose if you’re a Republican,” Massie said Wednesday. “Are you going to hug Hakeem Jeffries like Mike Johnson did? Will you embrace Uniparty, like Mike Johnson did, when you return next week? Or will you fight for the Americans who gave us the majority?”

Democrats’ pledge to reach across the aisle to rescue Johnson marked an extraordinary development in the presidential drama that has virtually defined this Congress — an unprecedented case of a minority party vowing to save an opposing leader from political ruin.

Complicating the Democrats’ decision, they have been fierce critics of Johnson’s conservative record on Capitol Hill, particularly on issues such as abortion and gay rights, and there continues to be much lingering animosity over his role as architect of the legal argument for the Republican effort. to overturn the 2020 election results.

Still, Democrats are framing their rescue mission not as a vote for Johnson, but as a vote against Greene and the legislative gridlock that would ensue if she were to succeed and Republicans were forced to conduct another long, chaotic search for a new viable President. . These Democrats are voicing concerns that another fight for president would harm Congress’s ability to pass future legislation such as the Farm Bill and the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.

“This has nothing to do with Speaker Johnson,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), head of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Their show of support, however, is opening up the picture that Republicans support a House speaker who is backed by Democrats, an extraordinary dynamic that Greene and Massie are highlighting as they seek to build support behind their motion to unemployment.

During a press conference Wednesday morning, Greene and Massie displayed two large photos of Johnson and Jeffries, and the podium featured a new sign: “Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mike Johnson, the one-party chairman.”

“Now we have Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats coming out, embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss,” Greene said. “They supported him, they are ready to support him as a speaker, they want to continue, keep the band together. Why? Because Mike Johnson is giving them everything they want.”

Pressure surrounding the imminent vote on the motion to vacate is mounting as Greene seeks to tie the outcome to next year’s House majority. The firebrand argued Wednesday that Republicans will lose their advantage in the House if Johnson remains in charge of the conference from now until November.

“We need a Republican majority in January, and under Mike Johnson’s leadership, we won’t have it,” Greene said. “Hakeem Jeffries is endorsing Mike Johnson because he knows Mike Johnson’s leadership will deliver the House majority to the Democrats in January.”