Some Democrats Say They Would Save Speaker Johnson From Ouster

An unlikely source of aid for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)—who is facing a motion from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to oust him after bringing the government funding package to a floor vote—might come from House Democrats.

After all House Democrats voted with a gang of eight Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023, several House Democrats are signaling they would save Mr. Johnson from a similar fate.

“It’s absurd he’s being kicked out for doing the right thing, keeping the government open. It has two-thirds support of the Congress, and the idea that he would be kicked out by these jokers is absurd,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) told CNN on March 22.

He said he would vote to retain Mr. Johnson as House Speaker and hoped other Democrats would do the same.

“I do not support Speaker Johnson, but I will never stand by and let [Ms. Greene] take over the people’s House,” he said.

Related Stories

However, some Democrats said their support would be predicated on Mr. Johnson reconsidering the Senate’s foreign-aid package passed in February.

“I’d want to see his good-faith action before that happened,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said, referring to the possibility of voting to retain Mr. Johnson as speaker.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), before Ms. Greene filed her motion, mentioned that he would vote to prevent Mr. Johnson’s ouster depending on the speaker’s actions regarding aid for Ukraine.

“If we get a vote on the appropriations bills and we get a vote on the supplemental, there’ll be enough Democrats that Johnson will not be removed as speaker,” Mr. Smith told The Hill in February.

“That’s just my view.”

Republicans Against Johnson Ouster

Ms. Greene filed her motion to vacate Mr. Johnson from the speaker’s chair the morning before the House approved the funding package, 286–134, which is now headed to the Senate before the 11:59 p.m. shutdown deadline.

However, not all Republicans are eager to face the same gridlock and uncertainty that bedeviled the GOP caucus in the weeks after Mr. McCarthy’s ouster. Even some of Mr. Johnson’s harshest critics from the House Freedom Caucus have dismissed Ms. Greene’s efforts.

Mr. Gaetz, who initiated Mr. McCarthy’s downfall, said he would not support a motion to vacate Mr. Johnson.

“When I vacated McCarthy, I made a promise to all of you, to the entire country, that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker,” Mr. Gaetz said on his “Firebrand” podcast on March 22, after the House vote.

He expressed concern with the dwindling House GOP majority and the possibility of at least a few Republicans voting for a Democratic speaker in the event of Mr. Johnson’s potential ouster.

“And because I’m not sure of that, do not count me among those who would support a motion to vacate at this time,” Mr. Gaetz added.

Some Republicans, however, were not nearly as restrained in their responses to Ms. Greene’s motion to vacate.

“It’s not only idiotic, but it actually does not do anything to advance the conservative movement. And in fact, it undermines the country and our majority,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) of the House Freedom Caucus said Mr. Johnson is the only House Republican capable of leading the caucus “through these dark and challenging times” and that Ms. Greene “just made a big mistake.”

Ms. Greene told reporters on the Capital steps on March 22 that she is not the only Republican supporting her motion to vacate Mr. Johnson but stopped short of naming anyone.

“I’ve talked to many who probably won’t go public, but silently, they’re breathing a sigh of relief,” she said.

That support, at least so far, does not appear to come from others who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy last year.

Aside from Mr. Gaetz, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said he, too, is against removing Mr. Johnson but he is also frustrated with the speaker’s actions with the funding package.

Another McCarthy-ouster supporter, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), said on March 21 that Mr. Johnson has “some ownership” regarding the funding package but defended the speaker.

“We’ve also got to be realistic and look at the situation that he’s in,” he said. “Speaker Johnson is transparent and, you know, doesn’t make promises and then not deliver on those promises.”

Other Republicans are against the potential ouster as well, fearing it’s a bad move for the GOP.

“This isn’t good for the party,” said Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.).

“When I go home, people are tuning out what’s going on in the House because of the lack of progress [and] the chaos that’s happening. And I’d like us to get together and work together.

“We’re moving in the wrong direction of getting together.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Ms. Greene’s office for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.

Samantha Flom contributed to this report.