House Republican may consider ‘Motion to Vacate’ against Speaker Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson Could Face No-Confidence Vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may be on the brink of a no-confidence vote, following the same process that ousted his predecessor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as speaker last year.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, stated on Tuesday that he would not rule out using the “motion to vacate” mechanism against Johnson. This comes in response to objections over a government spending framework released by congressional leaders and concerns about an impending border security deal.
“I’m leaving it on the table. I’m not gonna say I’m gonna go file it tomorrow night. I’m not saying I’m not gonna file it tomorrow. I think the speaker needs to know that we’re angry about it,” Roy told BlazeTV host Steve Deace.
During McCarthy’s rise to the speakership last year, concessions were made that restored the ability of a single member to trigger the “motion to vacate” process. This process would lead to a no-confidence vote. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) successfully utilized this process in early October, resulting in McCarthy’s removal from the speakership. Since then, Johnson has been elected speaker and McCarthy has left Congress.
Roy expressed his opposition to the effort to remove McCarthy from the speakership. While he acknowledged some frustrations with McCarthy’s leadership, he also recognized progress in implementing spending caps and achieving conservative goals through individual spending bills rather than omnibus legislation.
Johnson has touted a “topline” $1.59 trillion figure for the fiscal 2024 appropriations process, along with “concessions” made in an agreement with congressional Democrats. However, Roy argues that this figure ignores options devised under McCarthy that offered more financial restraints and includes “budget gimmicks” that increase spending above the $1.66 trillion fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill negotiated under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
.@HouseGOP FAILED to use its leverage to force cuts to inflationary spending
We must reject this “deal” w/ Dems that will INCREASE spending by ~$30 BILLION & fund agencies at war with our liberty & security – like Mayorkas’ DHS#NoGimmicks #NoSideDeals #NoSecurityNoFunding pic.twitter.com/XRBmzUshyz
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) January 9, 2024
Roy stated that he will reserve judgment until he sees the outcome of negotiations and any potential “policy riders.” However, he expressed skepticism after recent events, such as the inclusion of a FISA section 702 surveillance extension in a defense policy bill and the passage of another stopgap spending measure.
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Democrats have warned House Republicans against including “poison pill policy changes” in the fiscal 2024 spending bills, cautioning that it could result in losing their support. President Joe Biden also released a statement urging congressional Republicans to fund critical domestic and national security priorities and avoid threatening a government shutdown.
The possibility of another government shutdown looms, as a two-step continuing resolution (CR) passed in November funds certain federal agencies until January 19, while others would receive funding until February 2. Meanwhile, bipartisan talks are underway in the Senate to link border security reforms with supplemental national funds for U.S. allies like Ukraine and Israel.
“If they totally botch it — we get no policy reforms and we’re spending $1.66 trillion, I don’t know why we would keep him as speaker,” Roy said, adding that he would fight against “$60 billion on Ukraine and bull crap border security” reforms, especially after the GOP-led House passed its own border security bill last year, which the Democrat-led Senate refuses to consider.
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