In recent months, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced repeated revolts from some of the most prominent female voices in the House GOP.
Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida have all publicly voiced frustrations with House leadership on various fronts. (RELATED: MTG Alleges Mike Johnson Is Puppet Being Controlled By Trump’s White House)
The recent criticism from prominent GOP women comes amid falling approval ratings for the Republican-led Congress and reports of widespread dissatisfaction among members with Johnson’s leadership, as the chamber struggles to address issues like health care and stock trading.
In a Dec. 8 New York Times (NYT) op-ed titled “What’s the Point of Congress?” Mace wrote that former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi “was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century.”
Mace described Republican leadership under Speaker Mike Johnson as “restrictive and ineffective, control with barely any results,” arguing that major decisions are made by a small group behind closed doors. She added that this approach marginalizes rank-and-file members — particularly women — writing, “Women will never be taken seriously until leadership decides to take us seriously.”
Greene echoed Mace’s criticism shortly after in an appearance on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” saying she’s “no longer holding my breath” as she faces similar frustrations with Johnson’s leadership. The revolt among GOP women, she explained, stems from the belief that “he sidelines us and doesn’t take us seriously.”
Greene has become one of Johnson’s most outspoken critics, filing a motion in March 2024 to remove him as Speaker after urging him not to bring the $1.2 trillion spending bill to the floor, denouncing it as “a Chuck Schumer, Democrat-controlled bill coming from the ‘Republican-controlled’ House.”
More recently, she has accused Johnson of sidelining Republican women, ignoring their legislative priorities, and failing to advance Trump-aligned initiatives. On Monday, she went further, labeling the speaker as being “100 percent under direct orders from the White House,” according to The New York Times.
Greene plans to vacate her Georgia seat on Jan. 5 ahead of the 2026 midterms. (RELATED: MTG Says She’s Resigning From Office)
In response to claims that the Speaker sidelined Republican women, a spokesman for Johnson pushed back, highlighting his elevation of female lawmakers within the GOP-controlled Congress and his support for women candidates nationwide.
“Not only has Speaker Johnson elevated women in leadership, he has also helped recruit and support women running for office, including several who are in the Speaker’s Joint Fundraising Committee who have received an average of nearly $400,000 so far just this year,” the spokesman told the Caller. “This cycle, we have women running in 10 of the top districts we are watching. Our team is in touch with them and others across the country- just as we were in 2024- as Speaker Johnson works to recruit strong conservatives who can win, help us grow our majority, and help us deliver on our agenda.”
Greene has also repeatedly blasted Johnson for delaying Greene’s “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” — which bans pediatric gender-affirming care — before the House passed it on Dec. 17, despite public promises from Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise on X.
Republican women in Congress are being ignored.
Our legislation isn’t being taken seriously, even in our own majority!!
Mike Johnson promised a vote on my Protect Children’s Innocence Act. This bill would protect kids from irreversible procedures and reflects President Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/VRIbJeryqE
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 9, 2025
Stefanik, another prominent Trump loyalist who holds a leadership position in the House, has also voiced recent frustrations with Johnson.
Last year, Stefanik was selected as Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador, but the nomination was withdrawn months later amid concerns about Republicans’ slim House majority. She later announced she would run for governor of New York.
Her decision to end her run and leave Congress followed a public rupture with Johnson, whom she accused of dishonesty in a series of media appearances. In one interview, she labeled him a “political novice” and suggested he would lose a speaker vote if held today, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
I just walked out of a briefing on this issue this morning CONFIRMING everything I posted yesterday.
That yes, in fact, the Speaker is blocking my provision to root out the illegal weaponization that led to Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and more. He is siding with Jamie… https://t.co/6fVow5ALFV
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 2, 2025
The dispute appeared to ease in early December when Johnson told reporters the two had a “great talk.” He said he called Stefanik directly to ask why she hadn’t come to him first, leading to what he described as an intense but candid conversation, according to PBS.
Even so, Stefanik has not fully retracted her critiques, leaving up a Dec. 2 X post accusing Johnson of misleading colleagues after a provision she supported was left out of a defense authorization bill.
Responding in a post on X to Stefanik’s announcement that she would suspend her gubernatorial campaign and leave Congress, Johnson acknowledged it was a “tough decision for my friend and colleague Elise Stefanik.”
I know this was a tough decision for my friend and colleague @EliseStefanik, but her resolve to put family first is one that everyone will respect. Elise is an exceptional talent who has served the people of New York valiantly in Congress. She will continue to be leading force… https://t.co/TSceyeiVqh
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 20, 2025
The Speaker wrote her “resolve to put family first” is something “everyone will respect,” and praised her “exceptional talent,” adding that she will continue to be a “leading force” in the Republican Party. (RELATED: Elise Stefanik Went Full MAGA — So Where Is Her Trump Endorsement?)
Luna has criticized leadership’s reluctance to schedule votes and filed a discharge petition — a tool that brings legislation to the floor with 218 signatures — to force action on a stock trading ban for members of Congress.
Warning of potential pushback, Luna wrote, “Leadership may shut the House down next week” and try to use her petition to ban stock trading — and discharge petitions in general — as a “scapegoat” for their inaction.
Let’s get ahead of the spin now: there are rumors on the Hill that Leadership may shut the House down next week and try to blame my discharge petition to ban stock trading, and discharge petitions in general, as a scapegoat.
Let me be clear, I have done nothing wrong by forcing… pic.twitter.com/qpELT649ER
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) December 10, 2025
The Speaker has stated members “should still be able to own stocks” and warned that a full ban could deter potential candidates from running for office. Johnson supports stricter insider trading rules instead of an outright ban, according to a Punchbowl News report.
After Luna filed the petition Dec. 2, and began gathering signatures, Johnson met with her and a small group of legislators in closed-door sessions. In an X post following the meeting, Luna announced that Johnson and GOP leadership committed to bringing “comprehensive legislation” on congressional stock trading to the floor in “first quarter 2026.”
Johnson and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil began briefing lawmakers on a new plan for insider trading rules, indicating a potential separate legislative proposal for a floor vote as early as January, according to a Politico report.
Luna wrote in the post that she would keep her discharge petition active until that happens, but described leadership as “taking this issue seriously.”
Most of these women are part of a growing trend of Republican members of Congress heading for the exits. Mace is running for governor of South Carolina, Stefanik will leave Congress at the end of her term after ending her gubernatorial bid, and Greene will step down at the start of the year. Luna is the only one of the group planning to remain in her seat.
Despite these high-profile criticisms, Republican women continue to hold influential leadership roles. Stefanik chairs House Republican Leadership, Rep. Lisa McClain leads the Republican Conference, and Rep. Virginia Foxx chairs the powerful House Rules Committee.
In addition, three Republican women — Stefanik and Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York and Ann Wagner of Missouri — currently serve on the House Intelligence Committee. Johnson appointed all three directly, rather than through the standard GOP Steering Committee process.