Republicans, such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), officially owe Democrats their gavel.
A resounding 163 Democrats voted to table a proposal by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) to remove Johnson from his gavel, maintaining Mike Johnson’s coalition government with the crucial co-Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Johnson’s speakership is probably secure for the time being thanks to the record 359 to 43 vote.
Ten Republicans abstained from voting, along with seven Democrats who cast absentee ballots and eleven who did not.
In the end, only thirty-two Democrats showed themselves to be dissatisfied enough with Johnson’s leadership of the House to vote in favor of Greene’s gavel-stripping resolution.
Under Johnson, the Democrats are doing rather well. According to Jeffries on Sunday, Democrats have dominated the House agenda since Johnson took office.
“We continue to give a majority of the votes required to get things done, so even though we are in the minority, we essentially have been ruling as if we were in the majority,” he told CBS. “These are the facts as they are.”
Greene submitted her request to resign as chair on Wednesday night. As her coworkers laughed and made fun of her the entire time, she recounted a long list of Johnson’s infractions that had prompted her move.
As anticipated, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) moved to table the motion right away on Johnson’s behalf, killing it.
Though they initially committed to a tabling vote, Jeffries and his leadership group had vowed to provide the votes needed to rescue Johnson. Republicans like Greene, her companion Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), or any other Republican have the ability to compel another vote; Democrats have not yet indicated how they would react to this possibility.
