WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Wednesday she will pursue a vote on removing House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position next week.
“Next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate. Absolutely calling it,” Greene said. “I can’t wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and run for Congress again, having supported a Republican speaker. I’m excited about it.”
Up until this point, Greene had declined to force a vote on the resolution that’s known as a motion to vacate the chair, which she introduced in March.
Johnson responded to Greene’s announcement in a simple statement.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” he said.
Greene not a serious lawmaker: Johnson
Ahead of Wednesday’s news conference, Johnson told NewsNation’s Blake Burman about his future in office and whether he thinks Greene is a serious lawmaker.
“Bless her heart,” Johnson said. “I don’t think she’s proving to be.”
Johnson’s full interview will air on NewsNation’s “The Hill” at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Johnson said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about the Georgia lawmaker, saying he has to focus on doing his job as speaker.
“We do the right thing and we let the chips fall where they may,” Johnson said.
The speaker said that leading the House to another vote to vacate the chair again is the opposite of what America needs right now.
Johnson allows foreign aid bill
Greene’s decision to call for a vote on Johnson’s ouster comes after he allowed a $95 billion foreign aid bill to pass last week.
President Joe Biden immediately signed the legislation, which includes about $61 billion for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia. Most of that spending was to rebuild stockpiles of domestic weapons and supplies, and a significant portion of the aid set to go directly to the Ukrainian government will be in the form of a loan.
Johnson’s decision to back down after a weekslong standoff with Democrats and pass the foreign aid bill earned him bipartisan praise.
On Tuesday, House Democrats announced they would block Greene’s effort if she forced a vote on her motion.
Former President Donald Trump also backed Johnson, putting any Republican considering supporting Greene’s ouster effort in a difficult position of going against the most popular figure in the party.
