While Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to resign after the House passed bills approving billions in aid for Ukraine and Israel on Saturday—few of her Republican colleagues have joined her, including many members of the far-right Freedom Caucus that forced out the last speaker who also worked with Democrats to pass legislation.
The Georgia representative accused Johnson of “betraying” the American people after he passed bills ... [+]
Greene told reporters on Saturday that support for her motion to vacate was “growing,” and called Johnson a “lame duck” and claimed that he would “not be speaker today” if her privileged motion was voted on immediately.
However, only a handful of far-right congressional Republicans have signed on to Greene’s effort—including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
After the vote passed on Saturday, Massie posted a video of members of Congress waving Ukrainian flags—calling the bill as “total capitulation with no victory for securing our border.”
Both Greene and Massie continued their attacks on Johnson on Sunday morning—with Greene claiming Republicans will lose control of the House in 2025 with Johnson at the helm.
Greene also reposted a photo of U.S. troops returning in coffins covered with American flags—with the ominous message: “this is what is next.”
“I am not resigning,” Johnson told reporters at a press conference before the vote last week, calling Greene’s motion to vacate “absurd.”
“This is the third betrayal by Mike Johnson,” Greene told reporters on the steps of the Capitol after the vote on Friday, also criticizing him for renewing the Foreign Surveillance Act and funding the Department of Justice, which she accused of “spying” on former President Donald Trump’s campaign and raiding his home at Mar-a-Lago. “And then he did this b*** in here on the House floor—foreign war package that does nothing for America. It’s unbelievable. I’m thankful that America gets to see who this man is, because this is the only way it’s going to change. People have to see the truth.”
Although Greene and Massie have been outspoken in their disapproval, other Republicans praised his leadership and applauded his work with Democrats to pass both aid packages and temper the opposition driven by Greene and other far-right members of the party. "I am so proud of the speaker, Mike Johnson. He went through a transformation," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. He also received praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track," the Ukrainian leader wrote in a post on X.
The House passed two separate foreign aid bills on Saturday, approving about $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $8 billion for Taiwan and other allies in the Pacific. Only 101 Republicans voted against the Ukraine bill—less than half of their caucus of 218 members of Congress. Even fewer voted against the Israel bill. Greene, alongside Massie and Gosar joined progressive Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., in opposing the Israel funding bill.
The foreign aid bills will now go before the Senate before heading to President Biden’s desk. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised to hold a vote on the bills next week, with a “tentative agreement” to put the bills on the Senate floor as early as Tuesday, Politico reported.