(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) House Democrats have thrown a lifeline to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., amid escalating threats of a motion to vacate.
In a statement published Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared that his caucus would block any threats to oust Johnson as speaker. Johnson is currently facing calls to resign from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
“We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed,” Jeffries said in a statement co-signed by Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.
House Democrats argued that their move to table the motion aimed to “turn the page of this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction,” following the passage of a $95 billion foreign aid package.
Central to the Greene-led threats against Johnson was his endorsement of the foreign aid package, which included a controversial $65 billion aid earmarked for Ukraine, currently at war with Russia.
Greene took to Twitter to lambast Johnson, branding him a “Democrat Speaker of the House.”
She added, “He should resign, switch parties, and continue voting for Biden’s open border invasion of America, endless wars, full term abortion on demand, trans agenda on children, warrantless spying on the American people, weaponizing government against President Trump and his supporters, and every other Democrat wishlist item he’s handed over.”
Everyday, I fight the Democrat agenda destroying America and I fight for an America First Republican agenda.
Mike Johnson is officially the Democrat Speaker of the House. Here is their official endorsement of his Speakership.
What slimy back room deal did Johnson make for the… pic.twitter.com/HGDyDzvJQH
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 30, 2024
Despite opposition from Greene and other staunch conservatives, Johnson, alongside Democrats, passed the aid package while allocating no funds for the southern border.
In their statement, Democrats pointed to Johnson’s infamous role in passing the deal as their rationale for safeguarding his position.
“From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have put people over politics and found bipartisan common ground with traditional Republicans in order to deliver real results,” they asserted. “At the same time, House Democrats have aggressively pushed back against MAGA extremism. We will continue to do just that.”
Earlier in their statement, Democrats accused Republicans of “irresponsibly delaying” the multi-billion-dollar foreign aid package.
“Thanks to a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans, led by President Biden, we were finally able to meet the national security needs of the American people,” they added.
With Democrats threatening to table the motion to vacate, it seems unlikely that such a motion would succeed.
Notably, Johnson’s predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had hoped that Democrats would save him from a motion to vacate led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
Instead, Democrats, alongside 8 other Republicans, voted against McCarthy, precipitating an abrupt end to his speakership last year.
Kevin McCarthy told reporters yesterday he relied on Democrats to save him. He believed they would do so because he passed the CR. He also says he trusted lying snake Pelosi, who once told him “I’ll always have your back.” But it turns out she meant only with a knife in it. pic.twitter.com/RJmmqVWatq
— Chadwick Moore (@Chadwick_Moore) October 4, 2023
