Headline Roundup • April 16th, 2024
Second House Republican Joins Effort to Oust Speaker Johnson
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in joining Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in her effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
For Context: Greene is threatening to force a house vote to oust Johnson from the speakership, six months after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted. Greene filed a motion to vacate last month. This drama within the party comes as House Republicans’ majority is set to shrink to one seat once Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) resigns at the end of this week.
Details: Massie’s statement follows Johnson’s announcement that the House will vote on separate bills to approve aid to Ukraine, Israel and other overseas allies. Greene and Massie have voiced their disapproval of these bills, arguing the money would be better spent addressing the crisis at the southern border.
Key Quotes: On Tuesday, Massie stated in a social media post, “I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by [Greene]. He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.” Speaking with reporters, Johnston said, “I am not resigning and it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply trying to do our job.”
How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum noted that some House Democrats have indicated they would bail Johnson out if a vote is forced.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Conservative Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is joining Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in her efforts to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) after the Louisiana Republican announced plans to bring multiple foreign aid bills to the floor.
Why it matters: Johnson's speakership is in the most precarious place its been since taking over the gavel, coming under fire from conservatives over his handling of an array of policy issues.
Massie told the room he feels Johnson should resign and asserted he would co-sponser the motion to vacate.
Greene for weeks has...
J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
House Speaker Mike Johnson defiantly rejected a new call for his resignation, a day after the embattled party leader introduced a plan to pass bills funding Ukraine, Israel and other overseas allies.
The comments came after Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), a sharp critic of further aid to Ukraine, said Tuesday morning that he is planning to join Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) on her motion to vacate the speaker chair, which could lead to a vote to oust the speaker. Greene filed the motion last month, but hasn’t...
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) will co-sponsor a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), marking a second Republican who publicly threatened his removal.
Massie told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Tuesday he would back the effort introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month, a lawmaker inside the meeting confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The change comes just one day after Johnson proposed a four-pronged plan to provide foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan through separate bills — a proposal that has been met with pushback by...
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