Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a motion to remove Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker.
Greene and other hardline conservatives had expressed anger with Johnson's decision to pass the six remaining appropriations billsfor fiscal year 2024 – a $1.2 trillion spending package – to avert a government shutdown with Democratic support. That package passed the House Friday morning and now heads to the Senate. Working with Democrats to avoid a shutdown is also what triggered the push to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.
Greene's motion is not privileged, meaning it's unclear if or when it will be brought to the floor for a vote. Greene told reporters after the vote that she has "started the process" of electing a new speaker.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a member of the Freedom Caucus, said this gives Republicans time to find a speaker and build support for that replacement.
The push by House Republicans to oust one of their own – for the second time in seven months – highlights the deep fractures within the conference.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a moderate, called the attempt "lunacy."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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