However, in the five pages letter, Greene explained how she thought Johnson — who was elected president in October after three weeks of intra-party turmoil — failed at the GOP conference. Specifically, Greene accused the speaker of failing to follow the rules of governance that Republicans had agreed to, and she alleged that he worked to advance the Democrats’ agenda rather than his own party’s.
“Mike Johnson worked with (Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.)) rather than us, and gave Joe Biden and the Democrats everything they wanted – which is no different than how a President Hakeem Jeffries would have done it,” Greene said. » wrote, referring to the New York Democrat who is House minority leader.
Last month, as House lawmakers left Washington for a two-week recess, Greene filed a motion to remove Johnson from the speaker’s office, but did not make the effort to vote. She said her actions were just a “warning” for the president, who had just worked with Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion funding package aimed at keeping the government open.
At the time, Greene did not give a specific timeline for her ouster efforts, telling reporters only that she had “started the process of electing a new president.”
Addressing Voters In Whitfield County, Ga., on Monday, Greene said Johnson had failed to provide “full transparency” in the policymaking process by working with Senate Democrats and Republicans on plans to funding bill and not giving House Republicans 72 hours to read the final product.
The “most egregious thing he did,” she argued, “was to tie our hands behind our backs and not let us make amendments.” Greene said that through amendments, she and other Republicans would have blocked Congress from funding policies that she said fit President Biden’s agenda.
The resignation motion is the same tool that eight far-right Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), used last fall to remove then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from office ), the first time that a House was in session. The speaker had been impeached — after ignoring demands from the far right to shut down the government and relying on Democrats to pass a short-term funding measure. All Democrats and all eight Republicans voted to remove McCarthy from office, and it took several weeks (and three failed presidential candidates) before Johnson was elected to replace McCarthy.
The Republican conference retained the same rules of governance, including the one that allowed any member to impose a motion to resign. vote on the impeachment of the Speaker of the House, which, if it is introduced according to special rules, can occur 48 hours after its introduction.
In her Tuesday letter, Greene did not indicate when she planned to move forward with the motion to quash. Additionally, no Republican has publicly supported the effort.
Greene, however, made it clear that she intended to follow through on her threat, telling the Washington Post in an interview published Monday that “more Republicans” would support efforts to oust Johnson “if he transfers that $60 billion.” dollars to Ukraine, then follows with FISA reauthorization,” referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. By working with Democrats to pass major funding packages, Johnson is no longer acting like the conservative he once was, Greene argued.
“He’s conservative and has a track record of voting conservative — until he became president,” Greene told the Post last Thursday. “Now that he’s become Speaker of the House, many of us don’t even know who Mike Johnson is anymore.”
In the letter, Greene told colleagues that “if these actions by our conference leader continue, then we are not a Republican Party – we are a united party that is determined to remain on a path of self-destruction.” .
“I will not support or participate in this, and neither will the people we represent,” she wrote.
Spokespeople for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Greene’s letter. In a statement to the Post on Monday, Johnson said he “respects Marjorie” and acknowledged that they have “sometimes differences on strategy but share the same conservative beliefs.” Johnson declined to answer reporters’ questions about Greene’s letter Tuesday at the Capitol.
The Post reported Monday that Republicans across the spectrum refused to endorse Greene’s motion. Rep. Chip Roy (Tex.), a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, said he was focused on working with Johnson on border policy. Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD), chair of the conservative Main Street Caucus, said Greene’s motion posed a “terrible threat” to Johnson, who he said was “honestly trying to find a way forward.”
Even Gaetz, who introduced the motion to oust McCarthy, ruled out supporting Greene’s push to leave Johnson’s presidency.
Speaking to her Georgia constituents on Monday, Greene acknowledged that it had been a “tough year for Republicans in Congress” due to “uphill battles against each other.”
But, she argued, “anyone who holds a position of leadership in America must be willing to fight for what is right.”
“We have to be willing to fight against each other, we have to be willing to find common ground,” she said. “But that didn’t happen in this Congress. In fact, our Republican majority in the House of Representatives has completely failed.”
Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
washingtonpost
