House Speaker Mike Johnson survives motion to vacate

A motion to remove U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was resoundingly tabled by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans with a final vote of 359-43 on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., moved to vacate the office of speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after previously signaling a softening posture toward the speaker. If supported by a majority of the chamber, its passage would have removed Johnson and created a leadership vacancy atop the House GOP.

In contrast to when she originally filed her motion in March, Greene submitted her motion as privileged. The parliamentary status of the motion forced the House to vote on it within two legislative days. GOP leadership previously signaled that they would vote to table Greene’s motion immediately.

How were the votes expected to play out? Leaders in the House’s Democratic Party minority said they had planned to table Greene’s motion, protecting Johnson from an ouster. However, if all Democrats had voted to support the measure, it would have taken only two Republican votes to secure a majority and ensure its success. Most Democrats supported the removal of Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, in October 2023.

What about Republicans? Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., had joined Greene’s motion as co-sponsors. A handful of other Republicans like Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., had said they would support Greene’s efforts if the Republican party could find a replacement candidate.

Why was Greene looking to remove Johnson? Greene and others among the most conservative GOP members of Congress have criticized Johnson as failing to secure conservative wins and promote order according to the House rules.

Greene believes Johnson’s track record contradicts promises he made at the outset of his speakership. In a letter published last month, Greene cited a lack of action on government spending and border security. She characterized his leadership as a complete surrender to the Democrats’ agenda. Most recently, Greene and other like-minded lawmakers condemned Johnson’s efforts to pass a package of foreign military aid without first addressing the security of the U.S. southern border.

Was the motion expected to succeed? The motion was expected to turn on Democrats. The Republicans who opposed Johnson on their own didn’t have the votes to reach a needed majority of the chamber. Late last month, Democratic leadership in the House encouraged their party to block Greene’s motion.

What happened with the ouster of the last House speaker? Last October, a group of eight Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fl., voted with Democrats to remove Johnson’s predecessor, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. McCarthy’s removal led to almost a month of inner turmoil as the GOP struggled to unite around a replacement, eventually settling on Johnson after considering more than 10 other candidates.