Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Johnson's foreign aid package his '3rd betrayal' of American people

A bipartisan knot of House members clustered successful the good of the enclosure conscionable astir 2 p.m. connected Saturday. The House had conscionable approved a $26 cardinal assistance bundle for Israel, 366-58, which was the last of respective roll-call votes connected a clutch of overseas assistance bills, including $61 cardinal for Ukraine.

But members weren’t definite they were done yet oregon could caput location for what was present a delayed recess week successful the House. High play gripped Capitol Hill each time arsenic the House raced toward transition of the overseas assistance package. But Saturday’s legislative spectacle connected the overseas assistance measures had the imaginable to recede to a forgotten undercard. A climatic governmental lawsuit loomed. Lawmakers wanted to spot what would unfold and if their services were inactive required connected the House floor.

Everyone hung astir to spot if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., would present her solution to dump House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. It would beryllium hard to underscore conscionable however melodramatic a country that could be, particularly since Democrats bailed retired Johnson connected Friday successful an effort to enactment the overseas assistance bundle connected the floor. And erstwhile it came to Ukraine, lone 101 Republicans voted "yea." Another 112 voted "nay." In the meantime, 210 Democrats voted yes.

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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to the media aft the House of Representatives passed bills for assistance to Ukraine and Israel connected April 20, 2024. (Nathan Posner)

Yet Greene ne'er came aft Johnson connected Saturday afternoon, astatine slightest parliamentarily. She did verbally unload connected Johnson to the legislature property corps connected the House steps.

"He did this [expletive] present connected the House level overseas warfare bundle that does thing for America," Greene said.

She adjacent spoke successful adjacent Biblical presumption astir the speaker. Greene didn’t invoke Peter’s 3 betrayals of Jesus, but she did state that his advancement of the overseas assistance programme arsenic "the 3rd betrayal by Mike Johnson." Greene said the different 2 were the transition of 2 large spending bills to avert authorities shutdowns and a reauthorization of a cardinal instrumentality enforcement spying instrumentality known arsenic FISA Section 702.

"I’m thankful that America gets to spot who this antheral is," said Greene. "He’s already a lame duck. If we person the ballot contiguous successful our conference, helium would not beryllium talker today."

Yet Greene didn’t telephone the ballot connected Johnson. That maneuver mightiness person been extraordinary, particularly considering that the House took the unprecedented measurement of stripping erstwhile House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., of the gavel past fall.

So, wherefore didn’t Greene move?

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the media aft the House of Representatives passed bills for assistance to Ukraine and Israel connected April 20, 2024. (Nathan Posner)

Some mightiness accidental it’s astir the math.

She would person lost.

House Democrats were coy astir their plans to perchance support Johnson. But aft the House passed assistance to Ukraine, it’s apt Democrats would person supported Johnson by voting to array oregon termination Greene’s resolution. Or they whitethorn person "taken a walk" and been absent for the vote. Democrat absences would person driven down the full fig of House members voting. That would person diluted the votes of members who wanted to undercut Johnson.

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Knowing that, it's casual to spot wherefore determination was nary ballot implicit the play connected Johnson’s viability arsenic speaker. But determination was, successful fact, a trial vote.

It wasn’t the benignant of "no confidence" ballot engineered by Greene to "vacate the chair" and unit tumult successful the House, requiring different predetermination for speaker. Instead, the House took a "confidence" ballot successful Johnson: the ballot connected Ukraine.

While scores of Republicans abandoned Johnson connected the Ukraine measure, 193 Republicans voted "yes" connected the measure to assistance Israel. And 186 Republicans voted connected the operation measure to curb the usage of TikTok successful the U.S. and enforce sanctions connected Iran. More Democrats voted for the measure to assistance Taiwan than Republicans. But that measure inactive earned 178 GOP approvals.

Scores of Republicans abandoned Johnson connected the Ukraine measure. But 193 Republicans voted yes connected the measure to assistance Israel. (Getty Images)

So, Johnson remains the talker for now. He inactive has his enemies successful the House.

"I’m frustrated that determination was zero borderline information successful the bill," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. "It’s mind-bogglingly anserine to enactment that connected the floor."

Johnson's opponents said they privation the talker contented to smolder implicit the adjacent fewer weeks. They judge determination volition beryllium an uprising from the nationalist implicit what Johnson did. That, they hope, volition compel Republicans who are quiescent present to crook against him.

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"Honestly, it’s pugnacious to support [Johnson] close now," said Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., 1 of 8 House Republicans who voted to region McCarthy from his occupation past fall. "I decidedly consciousness that there’s a souring to Republican leadership."

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said galore Republicans were suffering from buyer’s remorse astir Johnson, pursuing the bedlam of throwing retired McCarthy past year.

"I’m frustrated that determination was zero borderline information successful the bill," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, outraged that the House forged up connected Ukraine aid. "It’s mind-bogglingly anserine to enactment that connected the floor." (Getty Images)

"We had a fight. We had a process. We tried to prime the speaker," said Good. "We ended up selecting a campaigner who has failed us."

Republicans spent 22 days trying to onshore connected a talker aft kicking retired McCarthy. In the process, they incinerated 3 different candidates earlier they got to Johnson: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

This is wherefore House Republicans are exhausted astatine the changeless pandemonium. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., conscionable announced helium is retiring astatine the extremity of this term. LaTurner, 36, is lone successful his 2nd term.

"I conscionable don’t deliberation we request that turmoil close now," said Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn. "You don't regenerate idiosyncratic unless you got to a surefire statement [candidate] coming successful behind. And we don't."

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., conceded that enactment for Johnson was "softening up." But Burchett added that "time is simply a healer." However, helium noted that "sometimes opens up wounds."

When the GOP secured the bulk successful the autumn of 2022, galore Republicans asserted they wanted the House to "work its will." They wanted members to beryllium successful charge, diminishing powerfulness from the leadership. They abhorred however erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., ran the House with an robust fist.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., conceded that enactment for Johnson was "softening up." (Tom Williams)

But Republicans often find themselves successful contradictory positions astir however the House operates. It’s a constituent not mislaid connected House Republican Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah.

"We wanted to springiness powerfulness down. We wanted to decentralize the power," said Moore. "But erstwhile things don’t spell precisely the mode [some members hope], they privation the talker to power each ounce of powerfulness that helium has. It’s a small spot of a treble standard."

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Translation: Some conservatives lone privation the House to "work its will" erstwhile it suits them.

In total, 311 House members voted for the Ukraine bill; 366 voted for the Israel bill; 385 voted for the Taiwan bill; and 360 members voted for the TikTok/Iran sanctions bill. That's much than two-thirds of the House connected each measure and good supra the threshold to adjacent override a statesmanlike veto if 1 were successful play (certainly not the lawsuit here).

That’s wherefore Johnson survives close now. The House worked its will. And Johnson was consenting to fto it enactment its volition – adjacent if that could undermine him aboriginal on.