Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was met with mixed reactions from her own party after she filed a motion to vacate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The majority of members’ reactions were disapproving of Greene, which was to be expected because she has not named supporters. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who helped oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last October, is set to retire on Friday and will not be able to participate this time around.
“I completely OPPOSE any motion to vacate,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) wrote on X. “Mike Johnson is a principled man working to deliver results in divided government. Speaker Johnson is in the same situation Kevin McCarthy was in.”
🚨I completely OPPOSE any motion to vacate.
Mike Johnson is a principled man working to deliver results in divided government.
Speaker Johnson is in the same situation Kevin McCarthy was in. Just like I did with Speaker McCarthy, I REJECT any attempt to vacate Mike Johnson!
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) March 22, 2024
“I consider Marjorie Taylor Green to be my friend,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) said in a video posted to X. “She’s still my friend, but she just made a big mistake trying to vacate Mike Johnson. I totally oppose that. Mike is a very good man. He begins every day from the right place, he’s deeply principled, and he’s like a brother to me.”
“I sure hope nobody vacates the Speaker again,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) wrote, including a clip of male celebrities modeling into a camera with the caption, “MTG.”
Democrats were also not supportive of the measure.
“I do not support Speaker Johnson but I will never stand by and let MTG to take over the people’s House,” wrote Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who notably voted to vacate McCarthy.
“The idea that he would be kicked out by these jokers is absurd,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said in a CNN interview Friday. He also confirmed that he would vote to keep Johnson as speaker. At the time McCarthy was ousted, Suozzi was not a member of Congress.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) becomes the first House Democrat to publicly say that he would oppose the motion to vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA):
“The idea that he would be kicked out by these jokers is absurd.” pic.twitter.com/sIJP2IMLET
— The Recount (@therecount) March 22, 2024
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The other six Republican members who voted out McCarthy have notably remained aloof in their opinions on the matter. Only one, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), revealed he will vote against vacating the speaker. The others have not come out for or against Johnson since Greene filed her motion.
Johnson is the third speaker in the last two years. McCarthy’s speakership was the shortest term in over a century at just over nine months. He followed Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who served for just shy of eight years nonconsecutively.