Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a new call by another Republican lawmaker to step down or face removal, but he said Tuesday he's not resigning.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie said Tuesday that he'd co-sponsor a motion to vacate the speaker filed last month by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. She laid the groundwork for an eventual vote to strip Johnson of his gavel after he worked with Democrats to approve a government funding package and avert a partial shutdown weeks ago. But Greene has yet to commit to a timeline on calling for a vote on the resolution to remove Johnson.
Massie said he told Johnson in the closed-door Republican conference meeting Tuesday morning that he would co-sponsor the motion to vacate, adding in a post on social media that Johnson "should pre-announce his resignation" so the conference can work on selecting his replacement. But Johnson said at a news conference after the meeting that he is "not resigning," calling it "an absurd notion" that someone would bring a motion to vacate "when we are simply here trying to do our jobs."
"House Republicans Clash Over Foreign Aid Funding"
"It is not helpful to the cause, it is not helpful to the country. It does not help the House Republicans advance our agenda which is in the best interest of the American people here," a Louisiana Republican stated.
The recent clash within the House Republicans stemmed from a plan unveiled on Monday to push forward with four bills addressing foreign aid. While the Senate had previously passed a supplemental funding bill to provide aid to U.S. allies, the Speaker was urged to take up the issue in the House. However, the new plan proposed by the Louisiana Republican aimed to separately allocate funding for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, with another bill focusing on additional GOP foreign policy priorities. The urgency to approve the funds for Israel escalated following unprecedented airstrikes by Iran over the weekend.
Amidst the escalating tensions, the Louisiana Republican emphasized the need for strong leadership, referring to himself as a "wartime speaker." He stressed the importance of steady hands at the wheel during these unprecedented times.
