Despite having the support of the so-called “MAGA wing” of the House GOP caucus when he was elected as speaker a couple of weeks ago, Mike Johnson (R-LA) is now facing a crisis that could result in him being ousted from the speaker’s chair in record time.
According to Punchbowl News, Johnson has angered far right-wing members of the party by suggesting that a spending bill should be passed to avoid a government shutdown which will take place at midnight on Friday, November 17.
After weeks of conversations about changing the way Washington works, Speaker Mike Johnson will seek to pass a complex “clean” stopgap funding bill Tuesday that maintains the status quo. The House Rules Committee will meet this afternoon to take up the 32-page bill.
The Rules hearing will be watched closely, especially how a trio of hardline conservatives on the panel vote. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of those members, has already said he’s opposed to Johnson’s proposal. If successful in Rules, Johnson and GOP leaders will have to pass the rule on the floor, another major challenge. The full House is expected to vote on the measure Tuesday.
Such stopgap measures were what got former speaker Kevin McCarthy in trouble with conservatives in the House and resulted in his ouster, which was engineered in large part by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
This time, one of those leading the charge against Johnson and his continuing resolution is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who says such a spending deal is unacceptable to her, despite her support for such measures when McCarthy was leading the House.
If Democrats refuse to vote for the Johnson bill, that could signal that a larger fight is in the offing, including a challenge to him remaining as speaker, as any one member can call for his removal and demand a floor vote for ouster.
Both parties appear to be worried about stalemate on the budget this close to Thanksgiving, but it remains to be seen if a deal can be reached, especially since Johnson’s proposal doesn’t contain a dime of aid to either Israel or Ukraine, both of whom are engaged in a fight for their survival.
And if Johnson loses the budget vote, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes before calls for his removal reach a roar.
