Speaker Johnson: Won't Change Motion to Vacate Rule

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., says he won't change the rule on removing him from the House speakership role.

"Since the beginning of the 118th Congress, the House rule allowing a Motion to Vacate from a single member has harmed this office and our House majority," Johnson wrote on X.

"Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold. While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules."

Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have threatened to pull the trigger on a resolution to oust Johnson amid outrage over his push for Ukraine aid without border language attached.

Johnson had reportedly considered restoring the threshold for introducing a motion to vacate that was lowered by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to a single member.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told reporters Thursday she would support Johnson's removal if he did so.

"It's a red line for me, for sure," she said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., suggested he would do the same.

"I think a motion to vacate is something that could put the conference in peril, and Ms. Boebert and I were working to avoid that," Gaetz said. "Our goal is to avoid a motion to vacate. But we are not going to surrender that accountability tool, particularly in a time when we are seeing America's interests subjugated to foreign interests abroad."

Greene accused Johnson of conspiring with Democrats to protect his gavel.

"Kevin McCarthy, while he was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, he never made a move like this: behind closed doors and made deals with Democrats to change the motion to vacate. And we're hearing that's exactly what Mike Johnson is doing," Greene said. "It's unprecedented. This has never happened in history. And it's completely wrong."

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