Democrats will save President Johnson’s job if the Republican Party tries to oust him

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job if some of his fellow Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from office, Democratic leaders said Tuesday, likely ensuring for now that Johnson will avoid being ousted from office like his own. predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson, R-La., has faced sharp criticism from some Republicans for advancing aid to Ukraine as part of a $95 billion emergency spending package passed this this month. It would only take a handful of Republicans to remove Johnson from the presidency if the Democratic caucus agreed to the effort.

But Democratic leaders ruled out that possibility.

“At this moment, with our work on national security completed, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of pro-Putin Republican obstruction,” the three top House Democrats, the House Democrats, said in a statement. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar. “We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate the chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.

The Democrats’ announcement ensures that Johnson will survive the most difficult period of his term so far, which has seen him battle internal divisions in the Republican Party to pass government funding, renewal of a key surveillance and aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. To do so, Johnson has often been forced to rely on Democrats’ votes, creating an unusual governing coalition that has angered far-right members who say their majority is being squandered.

Greene, R-Ga., filed a resolution earlier this month with the House clerk — called a motion to quash — that would remove Johnson from office if approved by the House. And while Greene did not force immediate passage of the resolution, she told reporters she was setting the stage for future consideration. She had two co-sponsors, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

Johnson was quick to distance himself from Democrats on the issue, saying he had no conversations with Jeffries or anyone to save his job.

“I was focused on getting the supplemental package done,” Johnson said, referring to the aid package. “Of course, colleagues from both parties came to me and said we would not tolerate this. …I didn’t ask anyone for help. I don’t focus on that at all.

Many Republicans in the House of Representatives are eager to overcome the divisions that have plagued their ranks since they took the majority last January. In a closed-door session Tuesday morning, much of the discussion focused on how to create unity within the party as the November election approaches.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Republicans heard from Michael Whatley, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, who emphasized that Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, wanted to unify the majority in the House. Bedroom. He said it was a message that certainly helped Johnson.

“What he wants is a unified Republican majority, so my message is singing the same song as President Trump,” Barr said.

Still, Greene indicated she may still move forward with her efforts to impeach Johnson, tweeting on She also called Johnson “officially the Democratic Speaker of the House” and wondered “what a sticky deal” he made to gain Democratic support.

“Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. I’m about to throw them their coming out party! » Greene tweeted. “Uniparty” is a tongue-in-cheek term that some Republicans use to describe cooperation between some of their Republican and Democratic colleagues.

McCarthy’s impeachment in October left the House adrift for nearly a month, unable to pass legislation as Republicans struggled to choose a replacement. Republicans were keen to avoid a repeat of this situation in November.

“It’s huge, it’s huge, especially for the presidential election, but for all of us, up and down the ballot,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. “They don’t want another 30 days of a dysfunctional Congress, and that’s what you’re going to get.”

Many Democrats, even before Tuesday’s announcement, had said they would consider helping Johnson, but they were also awaiting direction from their leaders and stressed that for Johnson to gain their support, he would have to authorize the vote on emergency aid. package focused on Ukraine and Israel.

Democrats also feared a repeat of the unrest that occurred during McCarthy’s impeachment. Democratic leaders, in their statement of opposition to Greene’s efforts, emphasized their willingness to work across party lines on national priorities.

“We are not looking for chaos. We are the adults in the room,” said Rep. Ann Kuster, D-N.H.