Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was confronted by Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday morning about her role in House Republicans leaving their posts, along with her recent motion to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In response to a question from Bartiromo about those in her own party attacking her for creating division, Greene said:
"Those people stepping down early and leaving are the ones that are leaving us at risk of Democrats controlling the majority. Not me," the congresswoman said on Sunday Morning Futures. "I filed this motion to vacate, but I haven't called it to the floor. This is like issuing a pink slip and giving our conference a notice. This may take weeks. This may take months. But Speaker Johnson cannot remain as speaker of the House."
The Context:
On Friday morning, the House voted 286-134 to pass a $1.2-trillion government funding bill, narrowly avoiding a partial shutdown of the federal government. Funding bills such as this have become subject of increasingly intense debate in the highly polarized modern political landscape, with further-right members of Congress in particular calling for shutdowns to be allowed to happen unless Democrats agree to heavy spending cuts or other significant compromises.
Johnson's role may now be on the line after Friday's vote, with Greene, a Georgia Republican, filing a motion to vacate his office.
"We have to find a new speaker of the House," she said, decrying the funding bill as a "Democrat bill" and accusing Johnson of being in league with the rival party.
Greene also recently hit out at Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican, over his resignation plans and has said he should be "expelled" from Congress.
Speaking recently to Steve Bannon on his podcast War Room, she said: "We're in a very dangerous situation Steve, what Mike Gallagher did yesterday was intentional, purposeful and puts our entire majority at risk."
She continued: "I think he should be expelled preeminently before he's allowed to just walk out of Congress at a date of his choosing, where his district doesn't get to replace him until next Congress.
"I think that is completely wrong. I think people should be able to have a voice. His district deserves a voice in Congress and we should expel him and that way his district can replace him as quickly as possible with a special election.
"Our majority is too important to throw away and the horrible dishonest and completely irresponsible actions of many in our Republican majority have led us to where we are. When people leave early it's a math game."
What We Know:
After Friday, the House's party breakdown will stand at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats.
Gallagher's departure means Republicans will slip to a four-person majority in the House next month, which means the GOP will not be able to withstand losing more than one vote if parties stick to their lines.
When reached for comment, Johnson's office directed Newsweek to a statement the speaker made on X, formerly Twitter, regarding Gallagher's resignation, writing that the congressman "has been a trusted friend and colleague since we both entered Congress in 2017, and it has been an honor to serve alongside him."
"We will greatly miss his leadership on Capitol Hill, but we are happy for him, Anne, and their daughters as they begin the next exciting chapter of their lives," Johnson added.
Views:
Greene was the subject of a scathing piece from The Wall Street Journal's editorial board on Friday.
In response to her motion to vacate Johnson, the Journal's editorial board, which is often viewed as a significant voice in mainstream conservatism, castigated Greene, calling her "Mayhem Taylor Greene" and comparing her and her further-right colleagues to climate change protestors.
"Politics isn't the art of the impossible, but Ms. Greene and her crew of vandals prefer to scream and throw soup at the walls, like those climate-change protesters who think their ludicrous gestures are accomplishing something," the piece read.
"They have no strategy for achieving the conservative victories they claim to want, beyond shutting down the government and shouting for the cameras that everyone else is a sellout."
On Sunday, Bartiromo pressed Greene about whether her move to vacate Johnson will hurt Republican House candidates and former President Donald Trump's chances in the 2024 election.
Greene replied, "Not at all. I would argue that the House would lose the [Republican] majority if we didn't have Trump on the ballot. Trump is going to drag every single Republican across to victory whether they deserve it not. Republican voters want fighters in the House of Representatives to fight like Trump, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm not bringing chaos. I'm forcing change."
What's Next?
Greene's motion to vacate Johnson is unprivileged, meaning it does not automatically force a vote.
While a vote is not expected to be held on the motion in the coming days, the resolution leaves Johnson in a potentially vulnerable position as he considers bringing forward future legislation.
Update: 3/24/2024, 11:41 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with more information.
Update: 3/24/2024, 11:57 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with more information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed ... Read more
