Speaker Mike Johnson told Republican holdouts on the party's crucial budget plan in a private meeting Wednesday night that they could oust him from the speakership if he doesn't follow through with his fiscal promises, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss it.
Johnson pledged to abide by the House budget instructions, including a minimum of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, for the domestic policy megabill that Republicans are now able to pursue on party lines after Thursday's successful vote.
The "motion to vacate" the speaker comes up often in the House GOP conference. But the speaker’s comments, the people said, acknowledged that fiscal hawks could trigger a vote on his removal as speaker if doesn't follow through. Several people in the room chuckled after the remark, they said. But hard-liners are planning to hold him to it.
The discussion of his ouster was seen as a concrete expression of how serious he was and displayed his enthusiasm for moving President Donald Trump’s agenda forward, according to one of the people. Some of the fiscal hawks saw it as a “blood oath,” according to another person.
A spokesperson for Johnson declined to comment Thursday.
A memorandum signed by Johnson and shared with reporters Thursday by Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina said he is "committed to maintaining linkage between provisions that result in a deficit increase ... and provisions that reduce federal spending" and would deliver a "fiscally responsible product."
Johnson’s fiscal assurance was one of the key factors that got hard-liners on board with the budget framework, which the House approved on a 216-214 vote, the people said. Some hard-liners on Thursday also cited assurances by Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune in swaying them in support of the plan.
Benjamin Guggenheim contributed to this report.
