Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has announced that he would co-sponsor a resolution aimed at ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) last month. Massie’s bold move, announced during a highly contentious conference meeting, marks the first crack in Republican ranks openly supporting Greene’s controversial initiative.
Massie’s decision came shortly after Speaker Johnson revealed a plan to advance foreign aid through the House, which involved voting on separate bills to provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, along with a fourth measure concerning other national security priorities. Notably absent from Johnson’s plan were provisions addressing border security, despite previous Republican insistence on pairing aid for Ukraine with border-related legislation. This omission drew strong opposition from conservatives.
In a fiery rebuke, Massie condemned Johnson’s leadership, accusing him of steering the party towards chaos. He pointed to Johnson’s handling of critical issues such as government funding, surveillance authority, and now, the exclusion of border security measures, as evidence of the Speaker’s incompetence.
During the closed-door meeting, tensions escalated as Massie directly challenged Johnson to resign from his position, a demand that the Louisiana Republican defiantly rejects.
The timing for triggering a vote on the motion-to-vacate resolution remains uncertain, as both Greene and Massie have not disclosed their plans. However, the stage is set for a showdown within the GOP, with Massie and Greene at the forefront, vowing to push ahead with their plans to unseat Johnson, who is likely to require Democratic support to retain his position as Speaker.
Given the current House composition, Republicans can only afford to lose two votes on party-line matters, a margin that will shrink to one following Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wis.) impending resignation. Some Democrats have indicated their willingness to support Johnson if he brings Ukraine aid to the floor.
